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FAMOUS SHIPS OF THE BEITISH NAYY. 




Frontispiece. 



HOWE. 

See THE STORY OF THE 'QUEEN CHARLOTTE.'— Po^e 168. 



FAMOUS SHIPS OF THE BRITISH NAVY ; 

OH, 

STORIES OF ENTEEPRISE AND DAKING 

COLLECTED FROM 



#ur ^abal €l}xonuhB. 



BY 



W. H. DAYENPOET ADAMS, 

AUTHOR OF " MEMOKABLE BATTLES IN ENGLISH HISTORY," "THE MEN AT THE HELM,' 
"the sea-kings of ENGLAND," ETC. 



'' Fame of the asserted sea through Europe blown." — Dryden. 



WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND DIAGRAMS; 

AND 

AN APPENDIX ON IRON-CLAD SHIPS, 

By N. Barnaby, 
Meinber of the Tmtitute of Naval Architech\ 



LONDON: 
CASSELL, PETTEE, AND OALPIN, 

LA BELLE SAUVAGE YARD, 

LUDGATEj HII-iL, ^ I^.C.j ♦ 






9s bb 
•01. 



THIS VOLUIVIE 

OF 

STORIES OF THE 

ENTERPRISE MD DARING OF BRITISH SEAMEN 

IS I2^SCRIBED, 
BY SPECIAL PEKMISSIOK, 



HIS GEACE THE DUKE OF SOMEKSET, E.G., 

rmST LOED OF THE ADMIRALTY, ETC., ETC. 

IN EESPECTFUL RECOGNITION OF HIS GRACE's ZEALOUS 

endeavours to maintain the efficiency of 

England's best defence, and adapt it 

to the needs of the future. 



PREFACE. 



1^ the following pages are condensed the histories of 
some of those famous Ships which, commanded by 
gallant officers and manned by " hearts of oak," have 
done so much to illustrate the annals and perpetuate 
the fame of the British Navy. 

These stirring narratives have been compiled from 
authentic sources, and are purposely presented without 
verbal exaggeration or picturesque colouring. The 
deeds of British sailors require no adventitious adjuncts 
to merit the respect, and command the admiration, of 
their countrymen. 

At a time when the "wooden walls" of England 
seem virtually abolished, and the gallant vessel which 
walked the waters like *'a thing of life" is fast being 
converted into an iron tortoise, or armour-clad hulk, 
whose chief characteristic will be its invulnerability ; at 
a time, when the manoeuvres of ships and the tactics of 
great fleets are undergoing a complete revolution ; the 
reader may not be displeased to refresh his memory 
with the achievements of our old men-of-war, — those 



Vlll PREFACE. 

Queen Charlottes, Bellerophons, and Victories, whicli bore 
the flags of our famous Sea-kings in a score of glorious 
triumphs, and asserted in every sea the supremacy of the 
" Eed Cross. " 

The old forms, however, may change ; but the spirit 
will still live. Whether the Fleet of the Future be 
modelled after the Warrior, the Achilles, the Monitor, or 
the Boyal Sovereign, I doubt not that it will be led by 
oflBcers as heroic as Nelson, as gentle as CoUiugwood, 
and manned by no unworthy successors of the gallant 
"tars" who bled at Camperdown, Trafalgar, and the 
Nile. And if they need an inspiration, they will find it 
in such romantic narratives as this little volume is 
designed to preserve : — 

" In our halls is hung 
Armour of the invincible knights of old. 
We must be free or die, who speak the tongue 
That Shakspeare spoke ; the faith and morals hold 
That Milton held ; in everything have sprung 
From earth's best blood, have titles manifold !" — Wordsworth. 

W. H. D. A. 

Norwoody Februo^ry 1863. 



CONTENTS, 



CHAPTER I. 

RISE OF THE BRITISH NAVY, 

PAGE 

The " Henrye Grace a Dieu " — The " Sovereign of the Seas " — 
Ships first classified — Sloops and Yachts introduced — Expla- 
nation of the word " frigate " — Growth of the British Navy . 15 

CHAPTER II. 

THE STORY OF THE "MARY ROSE." 

Henry VIII. — Portsmouth as it was — French Fleet under 
D'Annebault — Engagement between English and French — 
Loss of the "Mary Rose'' — French Invasion of the Isle of 
Wight — Quotation from Froude 20 

CHAPTER m. 

THE STORY OF THE "GOLDEN HIND,'* AND DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVI- 
GATION OF THE WORLD. 

Enterprise against the Spanish Colonies in North America — 
Drake's Flotilla — Thomas Doughty — Old Books of Travel — 
The Patagonians — A Skirmish — Port St. Julian — Execution 
of Doughty — Drake's Ships separate — Discovery of Cape 
Horn — The Sleeping Spaniard — Rifles the Cacafuego — Sails 
along the North- West Coast — Extreme Cold of the Climate 
— New Albion — Port San Francisco — Islands of Thieves — • 
The Philippines — The Moluccas — Interview with the King 
of Temate — A Narrow Escape — Arrival at Plymouth — 
Honours bestowed upon Drake — The "Golden Hind" at 
Peptford — Cowley's Yerses — A Latin Eulogium .... 27 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE STORY OF BLAKE's FLAG-SHIPS ! — • 

Tlie " Triumph ''—the " Swiftsure ''—the " ;S'^. George," 

• PAGE 

The *' Triumph .-"—Blake and Van Tromp— The two Fleets 
in Sight — ^A Storm — Blake gains the Weather-gage — The 
*' Triumph " begins the Engagement — It is desperately con- 
tested — Victory of the English — Remissness of the Parlia- 
ment — Danger of Blake — ^Slovements of the Dutch — The 
18th of February 1653 — The two Fleets engage — Heroism 
of De Ruyter— Close of the First Day's Battle— The Dutch 
off Weymouth — Second Day's Battle — Dutch retreat during 
the Night— Third Day's Battle— Defeat of the Dutch- 
Blake sails for the Scotch Coast — Monk and Deane in the 
Downs — ^The 2nd of June — Van Tromp's Armada — Attacks 
the English — Death of Deane — Night comes on — Renewal 
of the Battle on the Second Day — Arrival of Blake — A 
Fierce Contest — Destruction of the "Brederode" — Total 
Defeat of the Dutch 43 

The " Swiftsure :" — Before Cadiz — Blockade of the Port — 
Blake visits Algiers, and relieves Tangier — The Peru Trea- 
sure Fleet — Takes Refuge in Santa Cruz — Blake resolves to 
attack it — Preparations for Resistance — Movements of the 
English — A Prudent Dutchman — Attack upon Santa Cruz 
— Gallantry of Captain Stayner — Total Desti:uction of the 
Spanish Vessels — Eulogium of Lord Clarendon — Cromwell's 
Letter to Blake — After-career of the " Swiftsure " ... 56 

The " St. George :" — Expedition against the Barbary States 
— Sails from the Solent — Obtains Compensation from the 
Grand Duke of Tuscany — Appears off Tunis — Is defied by 
the Dey — Attacks Tunis — Destruction of the Tunisian 
Fleet and Batteries — Visits Tripoli and Algiers — Illness of 
Blake — Steers for Home — Gradual Decline — Arrives off Ply- 
mouth — Quotation from Hepworth Dixon — Blake's Public 
Funeral — ^His Character — After-career of the " St. George ". 63 

CHAPTER V. 

THE STORY OP THE *' ROYAL CHARLES." 

Launched as the *' Naseby "■ — Shares in the Sea-fights of the 
Dutch — Selected as the Flag-ship of Blake and Montagu- 
Narrow Escape— The Restoration of 1660— The " Naseby " 
re-christened as the *' Royal Charles " — Embarks Charles II. 
at Scheveling — Quotation from Dry den — The Dutch AVar of 
1665~riag-ship of the Duke of York— Battle of the 3rd of 



CONTENTS. XI 

PAGE 

June — Defeat of the Dutch — Singular Conduct of the Duke 
— Treachery or Cowardice of Brouncker-— Quotation from 
Sir John Denham — Glorious Victory of June 1, 1666 — Quo- 
tation from Dryden — The Dutch in the Medway — Destruc- 
tion of the " Koyal Charles " . 72 

CHAPTEK VI. 

THE STOEY OF THE " CENTURION." 

Romantic Character of Old Books of Travel — Associations of 
Childhood — Anson's Famous Voyage — Fleet fitted out in 
1740 against Manilla, the Capital of the Philippines — Badly 
manned and improperly equipped — Sails from Spithead — ■ 
Fever breaks out — The Fleet reaches the Brazilian Coast — ■ 
Patagonia and the Patagonians — The Isle of Fire — The 
Straits of Lemaire — A Storm — The " Centurion " makes for 
Juan Fernandez — Arrives there, and lands her Crew — An 
Island- Settlement — Arrival of the *' Gloucester " — Sad 
Tidings — Eecovery of the Crew — The Expedition again puts 
to Sea — Bold Attack upon Paita — A Night-masquerade — • 
Cruises off Acapulco — Quotation from Captain Basil Hall — 
Loss of the " Gloucester "> — The " Centurion " at Tinian — An 
Alarm — Sails for China — Arrival at Macao — Cruises in 
Search of the Panama Treasure-ship — A Prudent Cook — 
Capture of the Great Galleon — Alarm of Fire — The " Cen- 
turion " and her Prize arrive at Spithead ...... 82 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE STORY OP A MUTINY. 

TJiG "Bounty:' 

Dampier's Description of the Bread-fniit — The English Govern- 
ment resolve to plant it in the West Indies — The *' Bounty " 
sails for the South Seas — Arrives at Tahiti — Reception by 
the Tahitians — ^Friendly Intercourse — A Heivah, or Tahi- 
tian Dance — Tahitian Plants — A Supply obtained — The 
" Bounty " sails for Anamooka — Begins her Homeward Voy- 
age — The Mutiny breaks out — Captain Bligh's Account — 
The Boat-voyage — Bligh's Character — Real Causes of the 
Mutiny — Narrative by an Eye-witness — The Mutineers re- 
turn to Tahiti — Obtains Supplies — Discussions take place — 
Christian and his Adherents sail from Tahiti, and fall in 
with Pitcairn's Isle — An Extraordinary Colony — Its History 



11 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

detailed — Visited by Captain Sir Thomas Staines and Cap- 
tain Beecliey — Captain Beechey's Interesting Account — Re- 
moval of the Colonists to Norfolk Island — Bligh and his 
Companions — The Boat-voyage — Severe Privations — Arrive 
at Timor — Departure for England — Voyage of the "Pan- 
dora" — Seizes the Mutineers at Tahiti — Harsh Conduct of 
Captain Edwards — ^Wreck of the "Pandora" — Boat- voyage 
— Conclusion of the Eventful Story 97 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE STORY OF THE *' ARETHUSA." 

Dibdin's Popular Ballad — Narrative of the Engagement which 
it celebrates between the '*Arethusa" and "La Belle Poule" 
— Admiral Keppel and the French off Ushant— Indecisive 
Battle— Political Feeling . 131 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE STORY OF THE "ROYAL GEORGE." 

Cowper's Celebrated Ballad — Sir Edward Hawke's Fleet in 
1759 — Hoists his Flag on Board the " Royal George "■ — En- 
gagement with the French in Quiberon Bay — A Great Vic- 
tory — Falconer the Poet — Rear- Admiral Kempenfeldt — The 
" Royal George " at Spithead — Narrative of her Loss — The 
Extent of the Catastrophe — Graves on tlie Duver, at Ryde — 
The Wreck of the '* George " — Removal by Colonel Pasley . 137 

CHAPTEfe X. 

THE STORY OF THE " BELLEROPHON." 

War with France — Lord Howe's Victory of the 1st of June — 
Share of the " Bellerophon " on tlie 29th of May — Attacks 
" La Revolutionnaire " — Renewal of the Engagement — 
Manoeuvres of the two Fleets — The 1st of June — Heroism of 
Rear-Admiral Pasley — A Complete Victory — Anecdotes of 
the 1st of June— The Battle of Trafalgar— The " Belle- 
rophon " captm-es the " Monarca " — Cruises in the Basque 
Roads — Fall of Napoleon — The Emperor goes on Board the 
"Bellerophon"' — Sails for Plymouth — Removed to the 
" Northumberland " — St. Helena 145 



CONTENTS, XI 11 

CHAPTER XI. 

THE STORY OF THE "QUEEN CHARLOTTE." 

PAGE 

Outbreak of the Eevolutionary War— The Channel Fleet — A 
Cruise — The French in sight — A Yain Pursuit — Lord Howe's 
Fleet in 1794 — The Enemy sails from Brest — Battle of the 
28th of May— Battle of the 29th— The " Glorious First of 
June " — A fierce Engagement — A complete Victory — Ho- 
nours for the Victors — A Storm, and a Cruise — Lord Bridport 
off Belle-Isle — Behaviour of the " Queen Charlotte " — Mu- 
tiny at Spithead — Concessions of the Admiralty — Influence 
of Earl Howe — The *' Queen Charlotte" in the Mediterra- 
nean — Off Genoa — Alarm of Fire — Loss of the "Queen 
Charlotte" 163 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE STORY OF THE " LEANDER." 

Gallant Engagement with a French 74 — At Santa Cruz with 
Nelson — Nelson's Pursuit of the French Fleet — Discovers it 
at anchor in the Bay of Aboukir — Aboukir Island — Nelson*s 
movements— Commencement of the Battle — Manoeuvres of 
the English — Explosion of the " Orient " — Casa-Bianca and 
his Son — Total Defeat of the French — The " Leander " sails 

. for Cadiz — Engagement with the " Genereux " — A Desperate 
Resistance — Her Capture— Restored to England by the Em- 
peror of Russia — Captures the ** Ville-de-Milan " and " Cleo- 
patra" • 181 

CHAPTER XIII. 

THE STORY OF THE "DREADNOUGHT." 

Flag-ship of Admiral Comwallis — CoUingwood hoists his Flag 
on board of her in 1805— Shares in the Battle of Trafalgar — 
Captures the " San Juan de Nepomuceno " — Gallant Boat- 
action at Ushant — Employed as a Hospital-ship — Statistics 
— Concluding remarks 199 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE STORY OF THE "SHANNON." 

Causes of the War with America in 1812 — Successes of the 
Americans — Captain Philip Broke — The "Shannon" off 



XIV CONTEJTTS. 

PAGE 

Boston — Challenges the " Chesapeake "-—Captain Broke's 
Remarkable Letter — Relative Force of the two Vessels — 
The Battle— Complete Victory of the English—Interesting 
Details 204 

CHAPTER XV. 

THE STORY OF THE "VICTORY." 

Built in 1765— Lord Hood's Flag-ship in 1793— Siege of Toulon 
— Capture of Corsica— Sir John Jervis succeeds to the com- 
mand of the Mediterranean Fleet — Hoists his Flag in the 
*' Victory " — She shares in the Battle off Cape St. Vincent — 
Details of the Battle — Defeat of the Spanish — Becomes Nel- 
son's Flag-ship in 1803— Pursuit of the French and Spanish 
Fleets — Preparations for Battle— Anecdotes of Nelson — 
Battle of Trafalgar — General Details — Wound of Nelson — 
His Last Moments — His Death, and Character — A Glorious 
Victory — Nelson's Funeral — After-career of the *' Victory " , 217 

CHAPTER XVI. 

THE STORY OP A SHIPWRECK. 

The '' Alceste:' 

Her Early Career — Gallant Encounter with the " Pomone " — 
Embassy to China — Begins her Homeward Voyage — The 
Wreck — Island of Pulo Leat — A Strange Colony — Appear- 
ance of the Malay Pirates — Preparations for Defence — • 
Arrival of Relief— Captain Maxwell and the Emperor Napo- 
leon — Conclusion .»•••••••.•.. 267 

APPENDIX. 

IRON-CLAD SHIPS. 

The " Warrior "—The " Black Prince "—General Principles on 
which an Iron-clad Fleet should be constructed — Plans of 
the British Admiralty— The Navy of the Future . . . .278 

Chronological Table of Actions at Sea 297 

Description of a Ship's Eigging, Sails, &c 303 

' of Naval Terms 312 



FAMOUS SHIPS OF THE BEITISH NAVY. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE RISE OF THE BRITISH NAVY. 

" Thus we command 
The empu-e of the sea." — Slialisi^eare, 

Though naval victories had been achieved by England 
in the stormy reigns of the Plantagenets — and notably 
at Sluys by Edward III. — the Eoyal ^avy, strictly 
speaking, had no existence until Henry YIL caused to 
be constructed, in 1488, a three-masted ship which he 
called The Great Harry, and which is said to have been 
accidentally burnt at Woolwich in 1553. Previously, 
the English kings, when carrying on a maritime war, 
hired their ships of the great merchants, or relied upon 
the quota of vessels which every Cinque Port, and the 
sea-ports generally, were bound to supply at the so- 
vereign's demand. These small craft resembled in size 
and burden the fishing-boats which now hover about 
our coasts ; one-decked, one-masted vessels, carrying 
small guns which were fired, not through port-holes, 
but over the ship's bulwarks. Port-holes were the in- 
vention of one Descharges, a French builder at Brest, 
and in England appear to have been first introduced 
in the second famous ship of the Eoyal Navy — the 
Henrye Grace-a-Bieu, built at Erith, or, according to 
some authorities, at Woolwich, in 1515. 

The Senrye Grace-a-Dieu was then considered the 
tenth Wonder of the World. Giustinian, the Venetian 
ambassador at the court of Heniy YHP, seems to have 



10 THE "GOLDEN DEVIL.'* 

been amazed at her extraordinary size : she was, lie 
says, " a galeas of TinusTial magnitude," whose numerous 
heavy guns would doubtlessly overpower " any fortress, 
however strong." She cost 6,478Z. 85. Ofd,— a large sum, 
when the value of money at that time is taken into con- 
sideration. Her burthen was, it is said, 1 000 tons, but 
we have no means of ascertaining in what way the Tudor 
shipbuilders computed tonnage. She carried two tiers 
of guns, and platforms — or short decks — both at stem 
and stem, j)resenting, indeed, a very fantastic and 
unwieldy appearance. Her armament consisted of 80 
pieces — cannon-royal, cannon-serpentine, bastard-cannon, 
demi-cannon, and cannon-petro — 54 of which were fired 
through port-holes, the remainder mounted on the after- 
part of the forecastle. She had three decks and four 
masts. 

This memorable vessel was launched at Erith, October 
1515, in the presence of King Henr}^ and his queen, and 
wellnigh all "the lords and prelates of the kingdom, 
who all dined on board at the king's charge." We hear 
of her, afterwards^ in 1552, as the Ediuard, — her name 
having been changed, perhaps, in compliment to Edward 
VI.5 — and from that date lose all trace of her existence. 

A vessel of 900 tons, named after Queen Elizabeth, 
was launched at Woolwich in her royal presence, in 
1559 ; but the next great ship of the British navy, — 
which, under Henry VIII., had received its first formal 
organization, — was the Sovereign-of-the-Seas, built at 
Woolwich dockyard, in 1637, from tho designs of 
Phineas Pett. Fuller speaks of her as "a liegir-ship 
of state, the greatest ship our island ever saw." Her 
sides were richly adorned with emblems and mottoes in 
gold, so that the Dutch, in whose naval defeats she 
played a conspicuous part, called her the '* Golden 
Devil." Her decorator, Thomas Heywood, thus de- 
scribes her : — "She has three flush-deckes, and a fore- 
castle, an half-decke, a quarter-decke, and a round- 
house. Her lower tyre (tier) hath 30 ports, which are 



WHAT IS A FRIGATE? 17 

to be furnished with demi-cannon and whole cannon 
throughout, being able to beare with them. Her middle 
tyre hath also 30 ports, for demi-culverin and whole 
culverin. Her third tyre hath 26 ports for other ord- 
nance. Her forecastle hath 12 ports, and her halfe- 
decke hath 14 ports. She hath 13 or 14 ports more 
wi thin-board for murdering pieces \i. e., guns mounted on 
the after part of the forecastle], besides a great many 
loop-holes out of the cabins for musket-shot. She 
carried, moreover, ten pieces of chase-ordnance in her 
right forward, and ten right aft, that is, according to 
land service, in the front and the reare." Her burthen 
is variously stated at 1141, 1637, 1543, and 1683 tons, 
and her armament numbered, in all, 100 guns. 

The ships of the Eoyal Navy appear to have been first 
classified into "rates" in 1626, when was issued, by- 
order of Charles I., '' the Kew Eates for Seamen's 
Monthly Wages, confirmed by the Commissioners of 
His Majesty's Navy, according, to His Majesty's several 
rates of ships, and degrees of officers." These rates 
were then, as they are now, six in number, but, of 
course, in every other respect, differed materially from 
the present arrangement. A " first-rate " of to-day is a 
vessel as infinitely superior to the " first-rate " of King 
Charles's time as the Great Eastern to one of the Chelsea 
steamers. 

About 1670 the description of vessel known as 
" sloops " was added to the Eoyal Navy. Bombs, in- 
vented by N. Eeyneau, were introduced in 1688; fire- 
ships and yachts, between 1660 and 1675. The word 
" yacht" is from the Dutch, and the first yacht ever 
seen in England was The Mary, a present from the 
Dutch government to Charles IJ. At a much earlier 
date our builders had become acquainted with the light 
swift vessel of war called " frigate." The word is ap- 
parently Italian, and indicates swiftness of sailing : it de- 
rives its origin, says the Dictionnaire de la Marine, from 
th^ Mediterrginean, where all long ships, built both for 



18 OEIGIN OF THE FRIGATE. 

sail and oar, are named " frigates." The side, which 
is higher than that of a galley, has openings, like port- 
holes, for the oars to pass throngh. From the Italians 
they were adopted by the French, and from the French 
by the English, who called almost all their merchant 
ships frigates. Sir Francis Drake, among the ships 
which he led against the (misnamed) Invincible Ar- 
mada, had a " frigat " called the Elizabeth Fonnes, of 80 
tons, and manned by 50 men. The first frigate, how- 
ever, as the moderns understand the term, was built by 
the ingenious Sir Kobert Dudley, afterwards Duke of 
Northumberland: it measured 160 ft. in length, and 
24 ft. in breadth, and carried a tier of guns on a 
single whole deck, besides other guns on the quarter- 
deck and forecastle. Thus the English appear to have 
been the first to have introduced the armed frigate, 
and to have converted into a ship of war the fast- sailing 
merchant- vessel, though Fuller asserts that we ** fetched 
the first model and pattern of our friggots from the 
Dunkirks,* when, in the days of the Duke of Bucking- 
ham, then admiral, we took some friggots from them, 
two of which still survive in His Majesty's navy 
(Charles II.), by the names of the Providence and 
Expedition^' On the other hand, Pep^^s asserts that 
" the Constant Warwick was the first frigate built in 
England. She was built in 1649, by Mr. Peter Pett, 
for a privateer for the Earl of Warwick, and was 
sold by him to the States. Mr. Pett took his model 
of a frigate from a French frigate which he had seen 
in the Thames ; as his son, Sir Phineas Pett, acknow- 
ledged to me." 

For centuries the British navy was composed of 
ships inferior in point of sailing qualities to those of 

* Dunkirk was, for centui'ies, a famous nursery for seamen : 
hence, the importance which Cromwell attached to its possession 
by England, and the indignation with which the Enghsh regarded 
its sui'render to France by Ohailes II. The Dunkirk rovers did no 
small damage to English pommerce m lat^ m the Revolutionary 



INFEraORITY OF BRITISH SHIPS. 19 

other maritime nations, and its numerous victories 
were won by the superior discipline and courage of its 
seamen. Their great fault, says Mr. James, in his in- 
valuable Naval History, was — *' their insufficient size in 
reference to the guns they were forced to carry. 
Hence, their lower batteries could seldom be used in 
blowing weather ; and they sailed and worked heavily. 
But even this had its advantages; for the British 
generally recaptured their ships, whenever they formed 
part of an enemy's chased fleet ; and it is remarkable 
that, of the Comte de Forbin's fleet, which, in 1708, 
attempted a descent on Scotland, the only ships which 
perished in the gale that happened were such as had 
been taken froni the English." For years, indeed, the 
best and swiftest vessels in the Eoyal Navy were those 
which had been captured from the French; but the 
application of steam power to men-of-war, and the im- 
proved science of our shipbuilders, has happily removed 
from us this long-enduring reproach, and we now 
construct in the royal dockyards ships of a strength, 
beauty, and speed which no nation can surpass. 

These desultory remarks may fittingly be closed with 
a comparison of the number and strength of the British 
Koyal Navy at different dates. In 1677, it included 
41 ships, mounting 2,344 guns, and manned by 14,665 
men. In 1793, it numbered (in commission, in or- 
dinary, &c.) 411 ships, whose total tonnage was 
402,555, carrying 45,000 seamen and marines. In 
1796, it numbered 592 ships with 530,423 tons. In 
1800, 757 ships with 629,211 tons. In 1810, at the 
climax of the great French Eevolutionary War, 1,048 
ships, with 860,990 tons, of which 664 sail were cruisers. 
In 1820, it had decreased to 613 ships, with 605,527 tons, 
but only 113 ships were in commission. In 1861, it in- 
cluded nearly 1,000 steamers and sailing vessels ; but the 
introduction of iron-clad ships has so completely altered 
the character of our marine, that it is difficult to furnish 
^ny correct view of its actual condition, 



20 



CHAPTER II. 

THE STORY OF THE " MARY ROSE/' 

[Period of Service : Reign of Henry VIII., 1539-1544. 
Strength : 60 guns, 500 men.] 

" Ye ocean warriors ! 
Our song and feast shall flow 
To the fame of your name 
When the storm has ceased to blow ; 
When the fiery fight is heard no more, 
And the storm has ceased to blow." — Campbell, 

Henry VIII. was tlie first of our sovereigns who 
rightly comprehended the importance to England of 
a considerable marine, and it was the energy of his 
genius and the decisive resolution of his character 
which sowed the seeds of our surpassing maritime 
power. With that administrative ability which he so 
eminently possessed he introduced a complete system 
and a satisfactory organization into his infant navy, and 
placed his arsenals and dockyards upon an important 
footing. Portsmouth, under his care, became the' 
principal naval depot of England; and yet how weak 
and rude were these beginnings as compared with the 
splendid results now so conspicuous to our eyes, may 
easily be inferred by our young readers from Leland's 
quaint description of that famous seaport. Leland 
visited Portsmouth in 1548, and thus records his ob- 
servations : — 

'* The land here," he writes, " on the east side of 
Portsmouth haven, runs further by a great way straight 
into the sea, l^'' the south-east from the haven-mouth, 
than it does on the west point. There is, at the point 
of the haven, Portsmouth town, and a great round 
tower, almost double in quantity and strength to that 
on the west side of the haven right against it, and here 



POUTSMOOtH THREE CENTURIES AGO, 21 

is a miglity chain of iron to draw from tower to tower. 
About a quarter of a mile above this tower there is a 
great dock for ships, and in this dock lies the ribs of 
the Henry Grace de Dieu, one of the biggest ships that 
has been made within the memory of man. There are 
above this dock creaks in this part of the haven. The 
town of Portsmouth is murid [walled] from the east 
tower a furlong's length, with a mud wall armed with 
brass ordnance, and this piece of the wall having a ditch 
without it, runs so far flat south-south-east, and is the 
place most apt to defend the town, there open on the 
haven. There runs a ditch almost flat east for a space, 
and within it is a wall of mud like to the other, and 
then goes on round about the town for the circuit of a 
mile. There is a gate of timber at the north-east end 
of the town, and by it there is cast up a hill of earth 
ditched, whereon be guns to defend the entry into the 
town by land. There is much vacant ground within 
the town wall, and there is one fair street in the town 
west to north-east." 

Such was Portsmouth in the reign of Henry VIIL, and 
as such it excited the jealousy and apprehension of our 
'* natural enemies" — for so our wise ancestors considered 
them! — the French. Accordingly, when war broke out 
between Henry VIII. and Francis I., in 1544, their first 
blows were aimed at Portsmouth, and thither was de- 
spatched a formidable fleet under the command of the gal- 
lant D* Annebault, Admiral of France. It consisted of 1 50 
large ships, 25 galleys, and 50 small vessels and trans- 
ports, which, having securely crossed the Channel, were 
off the back of the Isle of Wight on the 18th of July. 

The English fleet, having just been reviewed by 
Henry VIII., lay at Portsmouth, under the command of 
the chivalrous Lord Lisle. It was far inferior in force 
to the French armada, but its vessels were of larger 
build, and manned by better seamen. Chief among 
these was the Mary Bose — so named partly in honour 
of the Virgin Mary, and partly in allusion to the Tudor 



22 A FRENCH INtASIOi^. 

cognizance of tlie rose. Slie was a new sliip of 600 tons, 
recently built at Woolwich, and armed with 60 pieces 
of heavy ordnance. Her captain was the gallant Sir 
George Carew, but she was unfortunately manned with 
a crew who were said, all of them, " to be fitter, in 
their own conceit, to order than obey, and to be incom- 
petent for ordinary work " — very worshipful gentlemen 
and brave soldiers, but by no means well-disciplined 
seamen. 

D'Annebault's armada steadily progressed round the 
Isle of Wight, piloted by boats with sounding lines 
which carefully indicated the proper depth of water. 
They passed the lofty cliffs now crovoied by the glitter- 
ing villas of Ventnor and Bonchurch, while the bale-fires 
shooting up their spires of flame on every conspicuous 
height, warned the islanders that an enemy was at hand. 
Soon they rounded the picturesque headland of St. 
Helen's Point, and fell into position in a formidable 
line which extended nearly four miles in length — from 
Brading Harbour to the then little fishing village of 
Eyde. Fourteen English ships were despatched by 
Lord Lisle to reconnoitre the array, but D'Annebault 
bringing up his galleys to meet them, after a few drop- 
ping shot, they retired, and night silently encompassed 
the hostile fleets. 

Let us now adopt Mr. Froude's picturesque narra- 
tive : — 

*' The morning which followed," he says, ^* was 
breathlessly calm. Lisle's fleet lay all inside the Spit 
[a large sand-bank, whence the name Sjpit-Jiead], the 
heavy sails hanging motionless on the yards, the smoke 
from the chimneys of the cottages on shore rising in 
blue columns straight up into the air. It was a morn- 
ing beautiful with the beauty of an English summer and 
an English sea; but, for the work before him, Lord Lisle 
would have gladly heard the west wind among his 
shrouds. At this time he had not a galley to oppose 
to the five-and-twenty which D'Annebault had brought 



skiumish between the r\vo fleets:. 23 

with him ; and in such weather the galleys had all 
the advantages of the modern gunboats. From the 
single long gun which each of them carried in the bow 
they poured shot for an hour into the tall stationary hulls 
of the line-of-battle ships ; and, keeping in constant motion, 
they were themselves in perfect security. According 
to the French account of the action, the Great Harry 
suffered so severely as almost to be sunk at her anchor- 
age ; and had the calm continued, they believed that 
they could have destroyed the entire fleet. As the 
moiTiing drew on, however, the off-shore breeze sprung 
up suddenly, the large ships began to glide through the 
water, a number of frigates — long, narrow vessels — so 
swift, the French said, they could outsail their fastest 
shallops — came out * with incredible swiftness ;' and 
the fortune of the day was changed. The enemy were 
afraid to turn lest they should be run over ; and if they 
attempted to escape into the wind, they would be cut 
off from their own fleet. The main line advanced 
barely in time to save them, and the English, whose 
object was to draw the enemy into action under the 
guns of their own fortresses and among the shoals at 
the Spit, retired to the old ground. The loss on both 
sides had been insignificant ; but the occasion was ren- 
dered memorable by a misfortune." 

This misfortune was the total loss of the Mary Bose ; 
a misfortune the more remarkable that it occurred 
nearly in the same spot, and through a very similar 
cause, as, at a later period, the loss of the Boyal 
George. It appears that her ports were open for the 
action ; her guns were run out ; but, misled by the calm 
which prevailed, the crew had insufficiently secured 
them. The wind came up with a sudden sweep, and as 
the Mary Bose v^'-s.s slightly heeled on one side, her wind- 
ward tier of guns broke loose, rolled across the deck, and 
with their weight and momentum so depressed her lee- 
ward side, that the water rushed in at the open ports, 
filled the ship, and sunk her, with every soul on board ! 



24 THE WRECK OF THE ** MARY ROSE." 

Sucli was tlie fate of tlie Mary Bose, on the very first 
occasion that she bore the red cross of England in sight 
of an enemy. Her loss was probably owing to the 
unwieldiness of her construction as much as to the 
inefficiency and inexperience of her crew. To the heart 
of her royal master, who may be said to have been an 
eye-witness of the catastrophe, her loss was a grievous 
blow. It may have proved some consolation to him, how- 
ever, that the French experienced a similar misfortune. 
The French treasure-ship, La Maitresse, had suffered 
severe straining in her passage across the Channel, and 
the recoil of her own guns developed and completed 
the mischief. The crew were saved, and they suc- 
ceeded in bringing off the money-chest ; but they were 
compelled to tow their vessel into Brading Haven, and 
run her ashore. 

The action, however, was not terminated by these 
casualties — ■'' the first result of the meeting of the two 
largest navies which had encountered each other for 
centuries " — and, as the details of this French invasion 
have an interest for all time, we feel persuaded our 
young readers will permit us to include them in the 
" Story of the Mary Bose." We continue our quotations 
from Mr. Froude's animated pages :— 

*' The day had as yet lost but a few hours, and 
D'Annebault, hearing that the king was a spectator of 
the scene, believed that he might taunt him out of his 
caution by landing troops in the Isle of Wight. The 
sight of the enemy taking possession of English terri- 
tory, and the blaze of English villages, scarcely two 
cannon-shot distance from him, would provoke his 
patience, and the fleet would again advance. Detach- 
ments were set on shore at three different points. 
Pierre Strozzi, an Italian, attacked a fort, perhaps near 
Sea Yiew,* which had annoyed the galleys in the 
morning. The garrison abandoned it as he approached, 

* Mr. Fronde is probably riglit in his conjecture. In several old 
maps the headland at Sea View is named Old Fort, 



THE FRENCH LAND IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 25 

and it was destroyed. M. de Thais, landing without 
resistance, advanced into the island to reconnoitre. He 
went forward till he had entangled his party in a glen 
surrounded by thickets; and here he was checked by 
a shower of arrows from invisible hands. The English, 
few in number, but on their own ground, hovered about 
him, giving way when attacked, but hanging on his 
skirts, and pouring death into his ranks from their 
silent bows, till prudence warned him to withdraw to 
the open sands. The third detachment was the most 
considerable ; it was composed of picked men, and was 
led by two of the most distinguished commanders of 
the galleys. These must have landed close to Bern- 
bridge [probably at Sandown Bay]. They were no 
sooner on shore than they were charged by a body 
of cavalry. . There was sharp fighting; and the soldiers 
in the nearest ships, excited at the spectacle of the 
skirmish and the rattle of the carbines, became un- 
manageable, seized the boats, and went off without their 
officers to join. The English, being now outnumbered, 
withdrew ; the French straggled after them in loose 
order, till they came out upon the downs sloping up 
towards the Culver Cliffs ; and here, being scattered 
in twos and threes, they were again charged with fatal 
effect. Many were cut in pieces ; the rest fled, the 
English pursuing and sabreing them down to the shore ; 
and but few would have escaped, but that the disaster 
was perceived from the fleet, large masses of men were 
sent in, under shelter of the guns, to relieve the fugi- 
tives ; and the English, being badly pressed in return, 
drew off, still fighting as they retreated, till they 
reached a stream [the Eastern Yar?], which they crossed, 
and broke down the bridge behind them." 

Evening had now come on, and D'Annebault held 
a council of war to decide whether an attack should 
be made upon Portsmouth, or a formidable force landed 
in the Isle of Wight, to hold it permanently. On board 
his transports were 7000 pioneers and soldiers, whose 



26 DISASTERS OP THE FRENCH. 

labours migM be employed in the eonstrnction of for- 
tresses at Newport, Cowes, St. Helen's, and other suit- 
able points. For unknown reasons, D'Annebanlt de- 
cided upon carrying fire and sword to some other part 
of the English coast; and after three days' fruitless 
parade, weighed anchor, and sailed for the Sussex shore. 

" But his misfortunes in the Isle of Wight were not 
yet over. The ships were in want of fresh water ; and 
on leaving St. Helen's he went round into Shanklin 
Bay (July 21), where he sent his boats to fill their casks 
at the rivulet which runs down the Chine. The stream 
was small, the task was tedious, and the Chevalier 
D'Eulx, who, with a few companies, was appointed to 
guard the watering-parties, seeing no signs of danger, 
wandered inland, attended by some of his men, to the 
top of the high down adjoining. The English, who 
had been engaged with the other detachments two days 
before, had kept on the hills, watching the motions of 
the fleet. The Chevalier was caught in an ambuscade, 
and, after defending himself like a hero, he was killed, 
with most of his followers." — (Froude, vol. iv.) 

D'Annebault's next foray was made upon Brighton, — 
a fishing village of inconsiderable pretensions, which, 
at that time, gave no indication of the prosperity and 
repute it would enjoy as " London-super-Mare," — and^ 
at one or two other points, he committed depredations 
worthy of a freebooter, it is true, but not of the chief of 
a great armament. Having accomplished these doughty 
deeds, the French Armada betook itself once more to 
its native ports, covered rather with ridicule for the 
little it had effected than with glory for Vv^hat it had 
undertaken to perform. The greatest loss experienced 
by the English, throughout the imposing demonstration, 
was that of the unfortunate Mary Bose. 



27 



CHAPTER III. 

THE "GOLDEN HIND:" AND DRAKE's CIECUMNAVIGATION OF 
THE WORLD. 

[Period of Sei-vice : Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 
Strength : 100 tons, and about 70 men.] 

*' No English keel hath yet that ocean plough'd. 
If prophecy frora me may be allow'd, 
. Renowned Drake, Heaven does decree 
That happy enterprise to thee : 
For tliou of all the Britons art the first 
That boldly durst 
This Western World invade : 
And as thou now art made 
The first to whom that ocean will be shown, 
So to thy Isle thou first shall make it know^n." 

Sir William Bavenant. 

" Five years " — says the autlior of tlie Britannia — 
" after his return from a former voyage, to wit, in the 
year 1572, when Drake had gotten a pretty store of 
money, by playing the seaman and the pirate, he, to lick 
himself whole of the damage he had received from the 
Spaniards (which a divine belonging to the fleet had 
easily persuaded him to be lawful), set sail again for 
America." 

The enterprise now undertaken by the heroic Devon- 
shire Sea-king was secretly favoured by Queen Eliza- 
beth, and excited a lively interest in the breast of every 
English adventurer. And though his vessel was not 
furnished from the small quota which then composed 
the Eoyal Marine, yet shall we take leave to include her 
among the " Famous Ships of the British Navy," since 
she sailed on her daring voyage under the direct 
auspices of the English sovereign. 



28 MAKERS SQUADRON SAILS. 

Tlie little squadron with which Captain Francis Drake 
proposed to attack — wherever and whenever he could — 
his old enemies, the Spaniards, and to carry the flag 
of England into unknown seas, was composed of five 
vessels, manned by only 164 seamen, and of a burthen 
of 275 tons. These were — the Pelican, Drake's own 
ship, of 100 tons; the EUzaheth, 80 tons, Capt. John 
Winter; the Marigold, 30 tons, Capt. John Thomas; 
the Swan, 50 tons, Capt. John Chester ; and the Chris- 
topher, pinnace, 15 tons, Capt. Thomas Moone. The 
Pelican wsiS a, good stout ship, '* well-found " and ap- 
pointed, and fitted up with some degree of luxury, for 
the purpose of impressing the minds of any strange 
people whom she might fall in with. Provision, 
indeed, was made in her " for ornament and delight," 
and Drake, with this object in view, carried with him 
** expert musicians, rich furniture (all the vessels for 
his table, yea, many belonging to the cook-room, being 
of pure silver), with divers shows of all sorts of curious 
workmanship, whereby the civility and magnificence 
of his native country might, among all nations whither 
he should come, be the more admired." 

The expedition sailed from Plymouth on the 15th of 
November 1577, but was encountered by a severe storm, 
which drove Drake into Falmouth, and afterwards com- 
pelled him to return to Plymouth to refit. He set sail 
again, under more favourable auspices, on the 13th of 
December, and went gaily onward until, on the 27th, 
the ships anchored off Mogadore, on the Barbary coast, 
and took on board a supply of fowls, sheep, and other 
provisions. Coasting southwards, they fell in, at Cape 
Blanco, with three Spanish caravels, two of which 
Drake restored to their owners, and for the third, a 
craft of 40 tons, he exchanged the Christopher pinnace. 
The Cape de Verde Islands were next visited, and off 
St. Jago two Portuguese vessels were seized. One he 
detained, and placed on board of her a crew of 28 men, 
under the command of his friend, a gentleman volun- 



A MISUNDERSTANDING. 29 

leer, named Thomas Doughty. Out of this circum- 
stance, however, arose a series of misnnclej'standings 
which finally resulted in a deplorable catastrophe. 
The beginning was in this wise : JS'ot long after 
Doughty had taken command of the prize, '' he was 
charged," says Fletcher (Drake's chaplain), " by John 
Brewer, Edward Bright, and some others of their 
fi'iends, to have purloined to his proper (i, e. his own) 
use things of great value, and therefore was not to be 
put in trust any longer, lest he might rob the voyage 
and deprive the company of their hope, and her Ma- 
jesty and other adventurers of their benefit, to enrich 
himself and make himself greater to the overthrow of 
all others. In regard whereof, the general speedily 
went on board the prize to examine the matter, who 
finding certain pairs of Portugal gloves, some few pieces 
of money of a strange coin, and a small ring, all which 
one of the Poiiugals gave him out of his chest in hope 
of favour, all of them being not worth the speaking of. 
These things being found with him, not purloined but 
only given him, received in the sight of all men, the 
general, in his discretion, deposed him from his place, 
and yet sent him in his own stead to the Admiral (?. e., 
to the Admiral's ship) as commander of that company 
for the time, in his absence, and placed Thomas Drake, 
his brother, in the prize, Captain, in the room of Thomas 
Doughty, but remained there himself till he had dis- 
charged the Portugals. 

" In the mean time the said Thomas Doughty being 
aboard the Admiral was thought to be too peremptory, 
and exceeded his authority, taking upon him too great a 
command, by reason whei'eof such as had him in dislike 
took advantage against him to complain a second time. 
The general [all naval commanders of expeditions were 
termed in those days of semi-military semi-naval war- 
fare ' generals and admirals '] came aboard the Admiral, 
and upon the second complaint, removed the said 
Doughty a prisoner into the Swan with utter disgrace." 



30 THE EOMANCE OF TRAVEL. 

One of the pleasantest things in the old books of travel, 
and one which specially endears to ns the quaint nar- 
ratives of the early voyagers, is the romance which 
colours every page and informs every line ; the romance 
of adventure, and daring, and wild chivalrous courage ; 
the romance of strange islands clasped round by *' forlorn 
seas;" the romance of shadowy groves and musical 
waters ; the romance, in a word, of Nature as Nature 
seemed to the eyes of men before the electric wire had 
put a girdle round the earth in forty minutes, or the 
Genius of Steam brought the farthest shores within our 
constant and almost indifferent recognition. Thus, 
when the Pelican lay off the island of Brava, the mariners 
hastened to become acquainted with its secrets, and we 
are told in enthusiastic language of its trees, countless in 
number and always garlanded with the greenest foliage ; 
of its ripe figs, and milky cocoas, its luscious oranges 
and nutritious plantains ; nor are pictures wanting of 
sinuous streams winding their trails of silver through 
the pleasant shade. 

The squadron passed the Equator on the 17th Feb- 
ruary, and soon afterwards got becalmed, lying idly like 
painted ships upon a painted sea for five-and-fifty days. 
Then a wind arose which bore Drake and his fortunes 
to the coast of Brazil, where a large number of seals 
were killed and stored up for future use. In keeping to 
the southward the Sioan and the Portuguese caravel, 
which they had named the Mary^ separated from the 
rest of Drake's flotilla. A harbour on the Patagonian 
coast was next made, and the English seamen gazed for 
the first time upon the Patagonian natives, exaggerating 
their stature into that of giants by some strange freak 
of fancy. " Magellan," says the historian of Drake's 
voyage, ^' was not altogether deceived in calling them 
giants, for they generally differ from the common sort 
of mQn, both in stature, bigness, and strength of body, 
as also iu the hideousness of their voice ; but yet they 
are uotbing so monstrous or giant-Uk© as they were ?:§• 



A SKIRMISH WITH SAVAGES. 31 

ported, there being some Englishmen as tall as the 
highest of any we could see; but, peradventnre, the 
Spaniards did not think that ever any Englishman 
could come thither to reprove them; and thereupon 
might presume the more boldly to lie : the name Pen- 
tagones, live cubits, namely 7i ft., describing the full 
height (if not somewhat more) of the highest of them." 
It is now, however, satisfactorily established by the 
testimony of recent voyagers that though the Patago- 
nians are strong-limbed and robust, their stature does 
not exceed the ordinary standard. 

On the 20th of June, being rejoined by the missing 
ships, the whole expedition anchored in Port St. Julian, 
which was destined to be the scene of two melancholy 
catastrophes. Drake had landed his men to exercise 
them in a trial of archery, when Eobert Winter, an able 
seaman, pulling the string of his bow wiin too much 
vehemence broke it. Whether the natives supposed that 
he had intended to menace them is uncertain, but while 
the Englishman was re-stringing his bow, they suddenly 
discharged a storm of arrows upon him, and he fell to 
the ground, wounded in his lungs and shoulder. Oliver, 
the gunner, immediately took aim at the savages with 
his musket, but it missed fire, and he was shot dead by 
an arrow. Drake hereupon drew up his men in regular 
array, and skilfully directed a succession of quick 
movements which baffled the enemy's aim. He also 
ordered his men to fend off the arrows with their 
shields, and then to pick them up and break them, which 
they did so diligently ^that the Patagonians were soon in 
want of missiles. This the general observing, he loaded 
his fowling-piece with care, and discharged it with 
such effect at the savage who had wounded Winter that 
he set up as " hideous and terrible a roar, as if ten bulls 
had joined together in roaring." Drake and his men 
then regained their ships in safety. Winter died, after 
a two days* struggle ; and both he and the gunner wero 
buried, with martial honours, in one gravo, *^ a$ they 



32 A TERRIBLE INCIDENT. 

both were partakers of one manner of death, and ended 
their lives together by one and the self-same kind of 
accident." 

The second disaster that overshadowed Port St. Ju- 
lian with mournful memories was the death of Thomas 
Donghty, the gentleman-volunteer of whom we have 
already had occasion to speak. Doughty was a man 
of superior parts : *' a sweet orator, a pregnant phi- 
losopher, a good gift for the Greek tongue, and a 
reasonable taste of Hebrew ; a sufficient secretary to a 
noble personage of great place, an approved soldier, 
and not behind many in the study of the law for his 
time." He had long been associated with Drake on 
the terms of an intimate friendship; a circumstance 
which still further obscures the remarkable and mys- 
terious incident of his sudden trial and execution. 
It is proLuble, however, that his rare mental gifts 
were not tempered with discretion, nor accompanied 
by the faculty of obedience to his official superiors ; 
and that, inflated with vanity and excited by ambition, 
he was led to contemplate the mad adventure of usurp- 
ing Drake's power and position. 

The narrator, whose chronicle is included in Ha6- 
luyt's Collection, gives the following account of this 
singular transaction : "In this port," he says, " our 
General began to inquire diligently of the actions of 
Mr. Thomas Dought}^ and found them not to be such 
as he looked for, but tending rather to contention of 
mutiny, or some other disorder, whereby (without re- 
dress) the success of the voyage might greatly have 
been hazarded; whereupon the company was called 
together and made acquainted with the particulars of 
the cause, which were found partly by Mr. Doughty's 
own confession, and partly by the evidence of the fact, 
to be true : which, when our General saw, although 
his private affection to Mr. Doughty (as he then in 
presence of all sacredly protested) was great, yet the 
care he had of the state of the voyage, of the expectation 



EXECUTION OF DOUGHTY. 33 

of her Majesty, and of the honour of his conntiy, did 
more touch him (as indeed it ought) than the private 
respect of one man ; so that the cause being thoroughly 
heard, and all things done in good order, as near as 
might be to the conrse of our laws in England, it was 
concluded that Mr. Donghty should receive punishment 
according to the quality of his offence. And he, seeing 
no remedy but patience for himself, desired before his 
death to receive the communion, which he did at the 
hands of Mr. Fletcher, the minister, and our General 
himself accompanied him in that holy action ; which 
being done, and the place of execution made ready, 
he having embraced our General, and taken his leave 
of all the company, with prayer for the Queen's Majesty 
and our realm, in quiet sort laid his head to the block, 
where he ended his life." From other sources we learn 
that he was tried before a jury of twelve men ; and that 
after taking the communion with Drake, both judge 
and prisoner sat down at the same table together, " as 
cheerfully in sobriety, as ever in their lives they had 
done aforetime, each cheering up the other, and taking 
their leave, by drinking each to other, .as if some 
journey only had been in hand." His body was in- 
terred in a grave dug near that of the two seamen, 
which was long marked out by a stone, engraved with 
their names and date of burial, and erected by the 
pious hands of Fletcher the chaplain. 

The squadron, now reduced to the Pelican, the Elizabeth, 
and the Marigold, gladly sailed away from the ill-omened 
and blood-stained shores of Port St. Julian; and on the 
20th of August, descried the mouth of the famous Straits 
discovered a few years previously by the Spanish navi- 
gator, Magellan. Here topsails were duly struck in 
honour of Queen Elizabeth, and the name of the Pelican 
was changed to the Golden Hind, in remembrance of 
Drake's *' honourable friend and favourer," Sir Chris- 
topher Hatton, who bore a hart as his device. Then 
they entered the narrow, winding, and rock-bound 

c 



34 THE STORMY OCEAN. 

channel, passing in the shadow of mountains whose 
crests are covered with eternal snow, and buffeting 
with violent storms, nntil, after sixteen days' weary toil, 
they happily glided into the Great South Sea. 

Their reception by its waters at first belied the truth 
of the epithet which the Spanish navigators had be- 
stowed upon them. It was no longer a Pacific, but a 
Stormy Ocean, and in the violent gales which ensued, 
Drake's ships were again separated. Driven to the 
south of Gape Horn, the English adventurers beheld, 
as it were, the commingling of the At:lantic and Pacific. 
Then, while beating to the north, the Mangold was lost 
sight of, and tidings of her never again reached human 
ears. In the wild waste of waters she must have 
foundered, and her ill-fated crew have found a silent 
grave in the "great deep." The Golden Hind, a,ccom.- 
panied by the Elizabeili^ continued her adventurous 
course, and on the 7th of October, endeavoured to 
take refuge from the driving winds and stormy seas 
in a bay near the western mouth of Magellan's Straits; 
but shortly after anchoring, the cable of the Golden 
Hind gave way, and she drifted out to sea. The 
Elizabeth made no effort to follow her, but the next 
day sailed into the Straits, put into an open bay, and 
(it is said) lit up great fires upon the shore in the hope 
that Drake might see them. After a decent interval, 
as no signs of the Golden Hind could be discerned, 
Winter, the captain of the Elizabeth, Vv^ho was not made 
of the same stern stuff as his admiral, put about ship, 
and bore away for England, much to the discontent, 
however, of his men. 

The Golden Hind, meanwhile, was the sport of the 
storms of the Pacific, and after many days' weary tossing 
to and fro, was once more driven to the south of Cape 
Horn, of which Drake was thus the discoverer. A favour- 
able change in the wind enabled him, on the 30th of Oc- 
tober, to turn his prow to the north, and after a fruitless 
search for the Elizabeth, he sailed away merrily to the 



PANIC AMOXa THE SPANIARDS. 35 

island of Maclio. Here lie had hoped to obtain a snpply 
of fresh water, but the Englishmen were suddenly beset 
by the Indians, and every man of the watering party was 
wounded in the conflict, Drake himself being smitten 
under the right eye, by an arrow which nearly pene- 
trated into the brain. Happily,' no lives were lost, and 
the vo^'-age being resumed, on the 30th of November he 
came to an anchor in St. Philip's Bay, on the coast of the 
American mainland. Here they fell in with an Indian, 
and an amicable feeling was established between the 
natives and the English; so much so, that one of their 
chiefs undertook to conduct them to the Spanish port of 
Yolpariza, where they not only obtained a supply of 
provisions and wine, but captured a Spanish ship, 
heavily laden with valuable stores. 

In a skirmish with the Spaniards at Cyppo (19 Dec.) 
Drake lost one of his men. At Tarapaca a Spaniard 
was found asleep, with a burden of 13 silver bars, 
valued at nearly 4,000 ducats, by his side. The 
treasure was removed, and the Spaniard left to muse 
when he awoke on the mutability of human affairs. 
Another Spaniard was driving eight llamas, each 
loaded with a cwt. of silver. He was speedily re- 
lieved from his toil, and the llamas were found equally 
obedient by English drivers. At Callao, the harbour of 
the wealthy city of Lima, Drake arrived on the 15th of 
February, 1579. No eagle " in a dove-cote" ever pro- 
duced more consternation than the little Golden Hind 
among the ships of Callao, and such was the supine 
terror of the Spaniards that they suffered Drake to 
plunder seventeen richly-loaded vessels, without offering 
let or hindrance. 

At Callao he obtained tidings of the departure for 
Panama of a famous treasure- ship, the Cacafaego, termed, 
from her size and value, the " Great Glory of the South 
Sea." He immediately crowded on all sail in pursuit, 
and had the satisfaction of overtaking her, near Cape 
St. Francis, or some 500 miles from Panama. Drake 

c 2 



36 A DARING ENTERPEISE. 

and his men were not to be denied by her crew. She 
was speedily boarded and taken possession of. Her 
treasures, estimated at 360,000 pieces of eight, or 
nearly 90,000?. at the then value of money, were re- 
moved to the Golden Hind — now, appropriately^ so 
named — and the Cacafuego was Ihen permitted to 
convey to her Spanish masters the sad story of her 
shame. 

We find the Golden Hind — stout barque that she 
was ! — at Acapulco on the 15th of April, taking in 
supplies of bread and other fprovisions, and not for- 
getting to devour such small stores of gold and jewels 
as fell in her way. She was here, moreover, thoroughly 
refitted, in order to prepare her for the long and daring 
voyage which her captain's bold spirit meditated. He 
had discovered the union of the oceans at the southern 
extremity of South America, and the passage by Cape 
Horn from the Atlantic into the Pacific. He now 
aimed at becoming the discoverer of a similar passage 
in the Northern seas, by which the Eastern might com- 
municate with the Western hemisphere without the 
long and dreary voyage round the Cape of Good Hope. 
He, therefore, turned his prow to the northward, and 
sailed along the western coast of North America. That 
he failed in accomplishing a part of his design is mainly 
to be attributed to the extraordinary severity of the 
weather, in a latitude where usually prevails a genial 
and delightful climate. 

Between April the 16th and June the 3rd the Golden 
Mnc? traversed 1,400 leagues, and suddenly, in N. lat. 
42°, passed, as it were, into a region of Arctic cold. 
" Our meat," says Fletcher, the chaplain, "as soon as it 
was removed from the fire, would presently in a manner 
be frozen up ; and our ropes and tacklings in a few da^^s 
were grown to that stifihess, that what three men before 
were able with them to perform, now six men, with 
their best strength and utmost endeavours, were hardly 
able to accomplish ; whereby a sudden and great dis- 



DIFFICULTIES AND DISCOlJKAGEMENTS. 3? 

couragement seized upon the minds of our men, and they 
were possessed with a great mislike and doubting of any 
good to be done that way ; yet would not our General 
be discouraged ; but as Avell by comfortable speeches of 
the Divine Providence, and of God's loving care over 
his children, out of the Scriptures, as also by other good 
and profitable persuasions, adding thereto his own 
cheerful example, he so stirred them up to put on a 
good courage, and to acquit themselves like men, to 
endure some short extremity to have the speedier com- 
fort, and a little trouble to obtain the greater glory ; 
that every man was thoroughly armed with willing- 
ness, and resolved to see the uttermost, if it were 
possible, of what good was to be done that way. 

" The land, in that part of America, bearing farther 
out into the west than we had before imagined, we were 
nearer on it than we were aware, and yet the nearer 
still we came unto it, the more extremity of cold did 
seize upon us. The 5th day of June we were forced by 
contrary winds to run in with the shore which we then 
first descried, and to cast anchor in a bad bay, the best 
road we could for the present meet with, where we 
were not without some danger by reason of the many 
extreme gusts and flaws that beat upon us ; which if 
they ceased and were still at any time, immediately 
upon their intermission there followed most vile, thick, 
and stinking fogs, against which the sea prevailed 
nothing, till the gusts of wind again removed them, 
which brought with them such extremity and violence 
when they came, that there was no dealing [with] or 
resisting against them.'* 

Drake was, therefore, compelled to discontinue his 
onward course, and bear away for the south. Discover- 
ing a secure haven in lat. 38° 30' N., in an inhabited 
country, there the Golden Hind dropped anchor on the 
17 th of June. The crew were landed; tents erected; 
a rude block-house was constiiicted for their defence ; 
the ship lightened of her cargo, brought in-shore, and 



38 NEW ALBION. 

subjected to a complete repair. Meanwhile, an amicable 
intercourse sprung up between the natives and the 
seamen, — the latter compassionating the inferiority 
of the " heathen Indians ;" the Indians (we are told) 
regarding the sea- wanderers as ** gods." These Indians 
are described as people of " a tractable, free, and loving 
nature, without guile or treachery." Their weapons 
were frail and almost harmless, but the men who bore 
them were " so strong of body, that what two or three 
of our people could scarcely bear, one of them would 
take upon his back, and, without grudging, carry it up 
hill and down hill, an English mile together. The 
women were very obedient and serviceable to their 
husbands." 

These simple people entertained their strange visitors 
with songs, and dances, and with a grand ceremonial, 
which Drake was willing to interpret as a formal sub- 
mission of themselves and their country to the English 
Queen. He was by no means tardy in accepting this 
fancied submission. The coimtry, from the whiteness 
of its cliffs, he named New Albion, and in token that 
it henceforth belonged to the other Albion, he set up, 
as a memorial, a post upon the shore, and affixed to it 
a plate of brass which was engraved with his sovereign's 
name and titles, and the date of the arrival of the Eng- 
lish on that part of the American coast. 

After a residence of thirty-six days, and much to the 
regret of the natives, whose good will his tact and 
kindly management had secured, the English Sea-king 
set sail from the harbour which he had named the 
Port of Dralce, but which now is known to all the world 
as the rendezvous of the Californian gold-ships. Port 
San Francisco. 

On the 23rd of July the Golden Hind finally aban- 
doned the American coast, and commenced her passage 
across the Pacific Ocean to the sunny shores of the 
barbaric East. For sixty-eight days no land was 
sighted. On the 30th of September some islands were 



THE KING OF TEEN ATE. 39 

fallen in with, and an attempt was made to trade with, 
their inhabitants, but such was their incorrigible dis- 
honesty that Drake was compelled to relinquish the 
idea, and with a discharge of small shot, turned away 
from the "Islands of Thieves," supposed by modern 
geographers to be identical with the Pellew Isles. 

The Philippines were made on the 1 6th of October, 
and at Mindanao, the largest and most fertile of this 
beautiful group, a supply of fresh water was obtained. 
On the 3rd of the ensuing month, the Golden Hind 
sighted the Moluccas. 

Drake applied to the prince or king of Ternate — 
then the chief city of the Moluccas — for permission to 
purchase provisions. The cliief in reply paid him a 
formal visit,|which was followed by an abundant supply 
of rare fruits, rice, poultry, and odorous spices. Some 
of Drake's most trusty officers having been commissioned 
to return the royal courtesy, were received with an 
imposing amount of elaborate pomp. 

On the 9th of November, Drake quitted the hospitable 
capital of the Moluccas, and on the 11th put into a 
small and uninhabited island, near the E. coast of 
Celebes ; landed his crew ; and set to work to repair his 
little bark. Here the English were much delighted 
with the swarms of fire-flies which, by night, like 
" fiery worms flying through the air," hovered from tree 
to tree. In this place also were discovered bats as big 
as large hens, and an abundance of cray-fishes, of such 
exceeding bigness, that one was " very good and re- 
storing meat" for no less ? than " four hungry stomachs 
at a dinner." 

From this strange and "romancy" island of bats, 
cray-fish, and fire-flies, the Golden Hind departed on the 
12th of December, standing away to the southward in 
order to get into the open sea. But while running 
before the breeze, VN^ith all sail set, during the night of 
January 9th 1580, she drove upon a hidden rock with 
such force that she was soon set fast completely. An 



40 HOMEWARD BOum). 

anchor was got out, but would not heave her off the 
reef. The crew then betook themselves to prayers, and 
afterwards began to lighten the ship of her heavier 
stores, throwing overboard three tons of cloves, eight 
guns, a stock of beans and meal, but by no means 
meddling with the gold, the silver, or the precious 
stones. These efforts were unavailing, but happily the 
wind changed, and at low water the Golden Hind, 
sliding off the ledge, once more resumed her homeward 
voyage. A few days (March 14 — 26) were spent at 
Java, and the supplies that were needed taken on 
board. But the Cape of Good Hope did not detain our 
wanderers, and at Sierra Leone they only paused two 
days for a supply of water, and to regale themselves 
upon fresh fruit and luscious oysters. 

On Monday, September 26, 1580, the Golden Hind 
safely arrived at Plymouth, " after we had spent," says 
the historian, '' two years, ten months, and some odd 
days besides, in seeing the wonders of the Lord in the 
deep, in discerning so many admirable things, in going 
through with so many strange adventures, in escaping 
out of so many dangers, and overcoming so many diffi- 
culties, in this our encompassing of this nether globe, 
and passing round about the world, which we have 
related : — 

" Soli rerum maximarum Effectori, 

Soli tot ins mundi Guberiiatori, 

Soli suorum Conservator!, 

Soli Deo sit semper gloria." 

Which may thus be paraphrased ; — 

To Him, sole Author of all works immense ; 

To Him, sole Ruler of earth, air, and sea ; 

To Him, of all his own the great Defence ; 

To God alone, let all the glory be !— TF. H. D. A, 

Merrily rang out the silver bells of Plymouth, as the 
Golden Hind sailed steadily into the depths of its 
capacious harbour. Drake, when he disembarked, was 
splendidly received upon " the Hoe " by the mayor and 




DEAKE. 

See THE STORY OF DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE WORLD.— Pa^g 41. 



HONOURS FOU drake AND HIS SHIP. 41 

members of tlie corporation, and the remainder of the 
day was honestly devoted to the wine-cup and the well- 
spread board. The next day he visited the early resi- 
dence of his parents, near Tavistock ; and after a brief 
interval of feasting and rejoicing, set sail for Deptford, 
where he moored his ship in the river Thames. He 
found at first the Queen much changed, Drake's enemies 
having poisoned her ears against him ; but after a while 
she learnt how to value so able and daring a servant, 
and paid him the unusual honour of visiting him on 
board his weather-beaten bark. " On the 4th of April 
1581," says the honest chronicler, Stow, *' Her Majesty 
dining at Deptford, after dinner entered the ship which 
Captain Drake had so happily guided round about the 
world, and being there, a bridge which Her Majesty 
had passed over, brake, being upon the same more than 
two hundred persons, and no one hurt by the fall ; and 
there she did make Captain Drake knight, in the same 
ship, for reward of his service : his arms were given 
him, a ship on the world, which ship, by Her Majesty's 
commandment, is lodged in a dock at Deptford, for a 
monument to all posterity." 

The Golden Hind, after all her hair-breadth 'scapes 
and perilous ocean- wanderings, found at Deptford a 
secure haven of rest, and to the Englishmen of that day 
became as interesting a spectacle as the Victory to the 
Englishmen of ours. Her cabin was altered into a 
species of refreshment saloon for the accommodation of 
her numerous visitors. Gradually she sank into decay, 
and out of the solid timber still remaining a chair was 
quaintly carved, which the authorities presented to the 
University of Oxford, and Cowley celebrated in deca- 
syllabic verse : — 

" To this great ship which round the world has run, 
And match' d in race the chariot of the sun ; 
This Pythagorean ship (for it may claim, 
"Without presumption, so deserv'd a name), 
By knowledge once, aud transformation now, 
In her new shape this secret post allow. 



42 'a poetical memorial. 

Drake and his sliip could not have wish'd from Fate 
An happier station or more blest estate. 
For lo ! a seat of endless rest is given 
To her in Oxford, and to him in Heaven." 

Tlie young alumni of Winchester School did honour 
to the famous sliip in choice Latin hexameters and 
pentameters, which were affixed in seemly show to her 
mainmast. They ran as follow : — 

*'Plus ultra, Hercnleis inscribas, Drace, colnmnis, 
Et magno dicas Hercnle major ero. 
Drace, pererrati novit qnem terminus orbis, 
Qnemque semel mundi vidit nterque Polus, 

" Si taceant homines, facient te sidera notum ; 
Sol nescit Comitis non memor esse sui. . 
Digna ratis quse stet radiantibus inclyta stellis ; 
Supremo cceh vertice digna ratis." 

Which we would venture to paraphrase thus looselyj — 

' Beyond the Herculean columns thou, 
O Drake, dost guide the all-adventurous prow, 

And Alcides himself dost thou excel ! 
Captain ! whom e'en the farthest earth hath known,"] 
And either pole hath seen, the stars alone — 

If men were dumb— should of thy daring tell. 
And Sol himself his fellow-trav'Uer claim ! 
So 'mongst the luminous stars thy Ship of Fame 
Splendid shall shine ; worthy of highest show ; 
Where- the bright wonders of the zenith glow ! — W, H, D, A. 

And here v/e terminate our brief chronicle of the 
wanderings of the Golden Hind, which first, of all Eng- 
lish ships, accomplished the circumnavigation of the 
world, and surprised the shores of the Pacific with the 
*' meteor-flas; of En2:land/' 



43 



CHAPTEE IV. 

Blake's flag-ships. 

The *' Triui^iph," — ^the " Sweftstjee^' — and the "St. George." 

[Period of Service : The Commonwealtl], and reign of Charles II. 
Strength : The Triumph, 60 gims, 350 men, 850 tons. 

The Swiftsure, 64 guns, 380 men, 898 tons, 

The St, George^ 60 gims, 350 men.] 

** They that the whole world's monarchy design'd, 
Are to their ports by our bold fleets confin'd. 
From whence our Eed Cross they triumphant see, 
Kiding without a rival on the sea I" — Edmund Waller, 

1. The " Trioiph."— A.D. 1653-1657. 

After tliat discomfiture of tlie Dutch fleet, under De 
"Witt and De Euyter, wliicli took place on the 28th of 
September 1652, off the mouth of the Texel, the govern- 
ment of the English commonwealth had incautiously 
considered the naval campaign as virtually concluded 
for the year, and consequently reduced the fleet under 
*' Eobert Blake, Admiral and General at Sea," then 
lying in Dover Eoads, to about forty vessels. The 
States of Holland, however, smarting under the dis- 
grace which had been inflicted on their flag, lost no 
time in effectively, but silently preparing for sea such 
an armada as should reassert for them their long-un- 
disputed supremacy. They selected for its commander- 
in-chief their gallant and able seaman, Admiral Van 
Tromp, whose active spirit soon infused a corresponding 
energy into every department of the Dutch marine, and 
a large and powerful fleet was equipped with admirable 
rapidity. A winter campaign was, in those days, little 



44 VAN TROMP'^ APPEOACH. 

relished by either generals or admirals, but Van Tromp, 
aware of the false security in which the English govern- 
ment reposed, was all unwilling to be deterred by 
stormy skies or boisterous seas from dealing his coun- 
try's most dangerous foe a deadly and an unexpected 
stroke. 

Blake, in his new flag-ship, the Triumph, a man-of- 
war of sixty guns, was lying in the Dover Roads, when 
his scouts discovered the approach of Van Tromp's 
mighty armament, a hundred sail of the line, frigates, 
and fire-ships, bearing down the Channel under a press 
of sail. The Dutch admiral's design was to crush Blake 
by his immense preponderance of force, and then, 
alarming the entire southern coast of England with fire 
and sword, to compel the Commonwealth into the ac- 
ceptance of such terms as the States might choose to 
impose. His strength exceeded that of the English 
in the proportion of three to one ; and a heart less 
resolute than that of Puritan Blake's — a genius less self- 
reliant and heroic — would undoubtedly have quailed 
before so unequal a foe. But Blake was not apt to 
trouble himself about the rule of proportion. He was 
made of the same stuff as the Ironsides who thundered 
irresistibly over the red field of Naseby, and having 
summoned a council of war, announced to his captains 
his intention to dispute the passage of the enemy. 

A dark, drear, and gusty morn was that of the 29th of 
November, when the stately war-ships of the Hollanders 
came in sight of the weak and badly-manned fleet of 
England. The winds blew so fiercely that no battle 
was possible on that day, and the two Admirals were 
occupied in skilful manoeuvres to obtain the weather- 
gage. Towards night the gale increased. ;< The ships 
were compelled to take in all sail, and to ride out the 
storm under bare poles. On the morning of the 30th, 
both fleets were driving westward, and renewed the 
manoeuvres of the preceding day. About three o'clock, 
when off the pitch of the Ness, — a headland on the 




BLAKE. 

See THE STORY OF BLAKE'S FLAG-SHIPS.— Pcpc 45. 



A HOT ENGAGEMENT. 45 

Essex coast, — an impatient movement of tlie Dutch 
admiral gave Blake the required advantage, and sweep- 
ing under the Hollander's bow, he gained the weather- 
gage, delivering and receiving a broadside as he passed. 
The Garland^ closely following in the wake of the 
gallant Triumph, came into such violent collision with 
Yan Tromp's ship, the Brederode, as to lose her bowsprit 
and catheads in the shock. Assisted by the Bonad- 
venture, an armed trader of 30 guns, she engaged her 
leviathan enemy, and with such fury and constancy of 
courage that the Dutch admiral was like to have lost 
his honour had not Evertz, his third in command, bore 
up to the rescue. Against such overpowering oppo- 
nents the fight, nevertheless, was hotly contested for 
more than an hour, when the Garland, out of 200 men 
having lost 60 killed and a great number wounded, 
w^as compelled to strike her colours. And the Bonad- 
venture having suffered almost as severely was also taken 
possession of by the triumphant Dutch. Throughout the 
day the brunt of the battle^was endured by the Triumph, 
the Victory, and the Vanguard, which at one time boldly 
exchanged broadsides with not less than twenty of the 
enemy. 

Kight was already darkening upon the waters when 
Blake was apprised of the surrender of the Garland and 
Bonadventure, and though his ship had been sorely 
crippled, and his men were weary with the fight, he 
bore up to the Brederode to attempt the recapture of the 
prizes. But the enemy closed around him ; thrice was 
his ship most daringly boarded ; thrice were the boarders 
most gallantly repulsed. The Triumph lay upon the 
waters a very wreck, with shattered rigging, shot- 
beaten hull, and wounded masts ; and only the constancy 
of the Sapphire and the Vanguard, which stood by their 
Admiral to the last, saved him from destruction. The 
unequal fight could endure no longer, and, under cover 
of a foggy and tempestuous night, Blake withdrew his 
ships towards Dover Eoads, after suffering ** a defeat 



46 VAN TROMP'S INSOLENCE. 

wliicli was only less glorious than a victory." The 
Dntcli were indisposed to follow liim ; but they did not 
forget to congratulate themselves on their success, and 
Van Tromp cruised along the coast from Harwich to the 
Isle of Wight, with a broom at his masthead, to indi- 
cate that he had swept the English from the seas ! 

But neither the people nor the governm,ent of 
England were much affected by this disaster, nor did 
they cease to place their whole and loyal triist in the 
great Puritan Sea-king. Unceasing exertions were made 
to reinforce and equip the fleet. Those officers who in 
the late engagement had displayed but little vigour 
were summarily cashiered. Generals Deane and Monk 
were ordered to hold themselves in readiness to share 
the command of the new armada with Blake, and the 
effective marine force was raised to 30,000 men. Ample 
stores of provisions and munitions of war, of timber, 
hemp, tar, and pitch were got together, and it was 
resolved that a winter campaign should be attempted, 
in order to wrest from Van Tromp the supremacy he 
had so laboriously acquired. Bounties and an increase 
of wages were offered to the seamen ; and so much 
energy was displayed on every side that, by the 18th 
of February, Blake saw assembled under his command 
no less than 60 men-of-war, fully manned and admirably 
equipped. 

Meanwhile, Van Tromp rode to^and fro in the Channel, 
with the broom still exalted to its post of honour, and 
the Dutch government boasted loudly of their resolve to 
subjugate the haughty islanders, and the jesters of Am- 
sterdam made what capital they could out of the recent 
engagement. " Ballads, by-words and scurrilous carica- 
tures delighted the ears and eyes of the excited populace. 
The names of the vessels captured in the fight afforded 
Dutch wits a theme for abuse : they had carried off the 
Garland, they said, from the islanders ; and there were 
squibs and jokes about the Bonadventure having realized 
the prophecy of its name in falling into their hands." A 



A WOODEN WALL, 47 

report that Van Tromp meditated a descent upon the 
Channel Islands had, however, more effect than Dutch 
sarcasms upon the English administration, and hastened 
their preparations. 

Blake, in company ^Yith Monk and Deane, and having 
1,200 soldiers on board his fleet, sailed from Queens- 
borough, with a fleet of 60 ships, on the 8th of Febru- 
ary. Penn was vice-admiral ; and Lawson rear-admiral. 
In the Dover Straits the fleet was augmented by a 
squadron of 20 sail from Portsmouth, and, encouraged 
by this opportune reinforcement, Blake resolved to give 
his enemy battle, whenever he could meet him, or what- 
ever might be his strength. He knew that every man 
on board burned with a hot desire to vindicate the 
national honour, and avenge npon the Dutch the dis- 
grace recently inflicted upon the national flag. He 
immediately bore away for Portland, and stretched his 
fleet across the Channel — '^ a wooden wall against which 
no enemy would rashly dash himself" — prepared to 
intercept Van Tromp on his return from his jubilant 
cruise. A distasteful surprise for the Dutch Admiral, 
truly ! who had by no means expected to meet so soon 
with another English fleet. 

Van Tromp had sailed southward in obedience to 
orders, to meet a large fleet of merchantmen off Eochelle, 
and convoy them into the ports of Holland. Learning 
that Blake, with 60 ships, was about to sail from the 
Thames, he had made haste to gain the river mouth that 
he might there shut up his enemy, and prevent him 
from effecting a junction with the Portsmouth squadron. 
But his movements had been outstripped by the English 
Admiral, and off Portland, on the morning of the 18th 
of February 1653, a glorious sunshine revealed to his 
astonished eyes the vanguard of the English armament. 

Tlie three flags of the Commonwealth admirals — 
Blake, Penn, and Lawson — floated side by side, and about 
seventeen other men-of-war were closing up around 
them, but Monk and the main body of the fleet were 



48 HOW BLAKE FOUGHT THE DUTCH. 

still some miles astern. Van Tromp, witli a skilful 
eye, perceived his advantage. He might, it is true, — 
the wind being in his favour, — have carried his rich 
convoy securely into the Scheldt, bnt he loved glory v^ith 
a hero's passion, and he wanted victory for himself as 
well as safety for his traders. These he ordered to 
beat to windward, to slacken sail, and partake as 
spectators in the coming triumph. Then, with his fleet 
of nearly eighty powerful ships of war, commanded by 
such men as Evertz, De Kuyter, Eloretz, and De Wilde, 
he bore down, in line abreast, (or, according to some 
authorities, with his vessels disposed in the form of a 
half-moon), upon the English van. 

The Triumph, with Blake and Deane on board, was 
the first to meet the onset. Van Tromp, in the Brederode, 
favoured by the wind, swept down upon her, and as 
she passed, poured into her crashing sides a storm of 
shot. Then, suddenly tacking, and bringing up under 
her lee, she smote her with another terrible broadside, 
shivering her masts into splinters, and crowding her 
deck with dead and wounded. At this moment the 
SpeaJcer (Vice-Admiral Penn) and some other vessels 
dashed into the fight, and drew oif from the Triumph a 
portion of the fire that was pouring into her. The fight 
grew general, and was fiercely contested. About noon 
Monk came up with the main body of the fleet, and the 
battle was renewed, but on more equal terms. A Dutch 
man-of-war was blown up with a terrible explosion ; 
several were set on fire ; others went down with all on 
board ; scarce a ship in either fleet but its rigging was 
shattered, and its spars splintered into fragments. Along 
both shores of the Channel for niany a league echoed 
the thunder of the cannon. The Dutch fought with 
tenacious courage. De Kuyter laid himself alongside of 
the Prosperous, a hired merchantman armed with 40 
guns. The contest lasted so long that De Euyter grew 
impatient, and called for boarders. They leapt on the 
English deck, sword and pistol in hand, but were 



THE FIRST day's BATTLE. 49 

gallantly driven back, and Captain Barker prepared to 
return the compliment. But the Dutch admiral cried 
oufc, ''Come, my lads, that was nothing — at them again !" 
The second onset was so furious that Barker and his 
scanty crew succumbed before it, and were made 
prisoners. At this moment the Triumph drove into 
the press of the battle. The English ship was soon 
recovered, and De Euyter in his turn was threatened. 
Then the Dutch came up to his rescue, and the night, 
closing tranquilly over the grim and bloody scene, put an 
end to the engagement. Tromp, before this crisis, having 
observed that his convoy was menaced by some frigates 
and fast-sailing ships which Blake had despatched, had 
fallen back with a great part of his fleet for their pro- 
tection. Some of his captains, however, chose to mis- 
construe his movements, and taking advantage of the 
growing darkness, sailed as fast as might be out of the 
way of the courageous islanders. 

The results of this first day's battle were in favour of 
Blake. Eight Dutch men-of-war had been either taken 
or destroyed. Their loss in men could not be ascer- 
tained, but it was known that several vessels had been 
entirely cleared, and their weakened crews distributed 
among the fleet, while " the decks and guns of the 
captured ships were so spattered with blood, as to 
sicken and appal the most callous of the victors." Blake 
had lost one ship, — the Samjpson ; for her captain, and 
nearly all the crew having been slain, he had taken 
out the few remaining men, and suffered the ship to 
drift away. In the course of the action the enemy had 
captured the Prosperous, the Oah, and the Assistance ; 
but all thiee had afterwards been recovered. 

During the night Blake sent on shore his wounded 
men, but though himself severely stricken in the thigh, 
set to work with indefatigable spirit to prepare for a 
renewal of the engagement on the following day. Guns 
were cleaned; leaks were stopped; sails were refitted, 
ajjid masts repaired ; and the ships whose damages were 

D 



60 THE SECOND DAY^S BATTLE. 

sucli as to render them "unfit to keep tlie sea despatclied 
to the nearest ports. 

The next morning showed the Dutch fleet seven 
leagues off Weymouth. It was drawn np in the 
form of a crescent, the convex side presented to the 
enemy, and in the hollow w^ere gathered two hundred 
merchantmen, — the whole standing up the Channel, 
under a heavy press of sail, with a light wind in their 
favour. Blake followed them closely, and about twelve 
o'clock the Triumph came within gunshot of the rear- 
most ships. About two nearly all his fleet closed 
with them off Dungeness. *' Compelled to fight 
against his will, Tromp ordered the merchants to 
make sail for the nearest Dutch port, keeping close 
rmder the French shore between Calais and Dunkirk 
for protection, and then turned like a panther on his 
pursuer. On both sides the battle was renewed with 
fury. De Kuyter gave fresh proofs of his skill and 
courage ; but the fortune of war was still against 
him. After some hours of this second engagement 
his vessel became unmanageable, and would have 
fallen into Blake's hands had not Tromp seen his 
danger and sent Captain Duin to bring him out of 
the fight. AVith great difficulty he was extricated 
from his position, and carried away. An hour or so 
later Tromp also began to fall slowly back towards 
Boulogne, still, however, contesting every wave, and 
the mingled roar and battle lasted until night again 
separated the hostile hosts." 

In this second day's encounter the Dutch had lost 
five men-of-war,, either captured or destroyed, and 
were so demoralised by their defeat that several cap- 
tains lost heart and declared to their admiral that the 
English could no longer be resisted. Van Tromp sent 
these cravens away to take up a position to the wind- 
ward, begging them to assume at least such a warlike 
aspect as might deter the English frigates from attack- 
ing the convoy. But when the day dawned Blaise 



THE THIRD DAY'S BATTLE. 51 

easily interpreted the Admiral's intention, and despatch- 
ing in pursuit of them a squadron of fast-sailing ships, 
again bore down upon the foe with the main hody of 
his fleet. The result of the third day's battle we shall 
give in the picturesque words of Hepworth Dixon : — 

*'Tromp fought, as usual, with the most desperate 
courage : but he had now little hope, with his broken 
and di^dded power, of doing niore than occupy Blake's 
attention until his richly-laden merchants could run 
into the nearest port. Even this was doubtful. After 
the first shock he sent Captain Van Ness to the mer- 
chants, with orders for them to crov/d sail and make 
for Calais Eoad, as he found himself unable to promise 
them more than a few hours' protection. As the 
fight grew fiercer, he sent his Treasurer to urge them 
to press on faster, or the English frigates would soon 
be amongst them. But the wind was then blowing 
from the French coast, and notwithstanding his ener- 
getic attempts. Van Ness was unable to carry such a 
number of disorganised ships sufficiently near land 
to be out of danger. More than half the Dutch fri- 
gates and men-of-war had now been taken, sunk, or 
scattered ; and considering it a species of insanity in 
Tromp to continue the engagement until they were 
all destroyed, the other captains, contrary to their 
express orders, retreated on the flying traders. Con- 
fusion then reached its height. Some of the English 
frigates came up; and the merchants, in their alarm 
and disorder, ran foul of each other, knocked them- 
selves to pieces or fell blindly into their enemy's 
power. Still fighting with the retreating men-of-war, 
Blake arrived in the midst of this wild scene late in 
the afternoon, and finding several ships run against 
him, as if desirous of being captured, it occurred to him 
that this was a device of his wily adversary to stay the 
victorious pursuit, and give time to rally some part of 
the discomfited fleet, — and he issued strict and instant 
commands that every war-,i^]iip still in a condition to 

D 2 



62 A GLORIOUS VICTORY. 

follow and fight tlie enemy should press on with all its 
force against the main body, leaving the traders in their 
rear to be watched and seized by the frigates already 
assigned to that service, or driven into ports whence it 
would be easy to recover them should the Dutch fleet 
be swept from the Channel. Darkness alone put an end 
to the exciting chase. Tromp ran in under the French 
shore, about four miles from Calais, where he anchored 
the remnant of his once mighty fleet — now reduced to 
less than half the former number of masts, and these 
damaged in every part. Blake consulted pilots and 
others well acquainted with the coast, as to what Tromp 
could do in his new position ; and the general opinion 
of these men being that the Dutch could not weather 
the coast of Artois, as the wind and tide then lay, and 
would be compelled to come out to sea in order to get 
home, he cast anchors and sat down to repair his 
damages. The night was unusually dark, with a high 
gale blowing, so that the enemy's lights could not be 
seen ; and when day again dawned the sea was quite 
clear in that direction, Tromp having slipped away and 
tided towards Dunkirk, whence he got off into the har- 
bours of Zealand. By twelve o'clock in the morning 
Blake was ready to give chase, but no enemy being then 
visible, and seeing how useless it would be to follow 
the runaways into the flats and shallows of their own 
coast, he stood over towards England, and the gale still 
rising, carried his fleet and prizes into Stokes Bay, in 
the Isle of Wight, whence he and his colleagues in com- 
mand wrote to inform the House of their success."* 

In these glorious Three Days the Dutch were very 
heavy sufferers : they lost 17 or 18 men-of-war, p^nd 
between 50 and 60 richly laden merchant - vessels. 
Three Dutch captains were taken; seven were slain. 
The number of killed and wounded is not accurately 
known, but certainly was not less than 1,500 killed and 

* Hepworth Dixon's Life of Robert Blake. 



FRESH EFFORTS OF THE DUTCH. 53 

4,000 wounded, while 700 were taken prisoners. The 
English had one ship sunk, the Sampson ; and three 
captains killed. Blake and Lawson were sorely 
wounded, and the loss of life on board some of the 
English ships was .severe. The Triumph, whose name 
would seem to have been of happy augury to the 
English, had no less than 100 killed in the first day's 
battle. 

In April 1653, Blake, having the Hollanders shut up 
in their strongly-fortified harbours, sailed with a small 
squadron to watch the Scottish coast, while Monk and 
Deane remained in command in the Downs with eighty 
sail. The Dutch admirals, burning to avenge their late 
disaster, and encouraged by a belief that the recent 
seizure of the supreme power by Cromwell had bred 
serious disaffection and excited important divisions in 
the English fleets, hastily collected an immense force, 
and with 120 ships, poured into Dover Eoad, captured a 
few prizes, and insulted the town with their destroying 
guns. At this time the English fleet, largely reinforced 
through the exertions of the government, was lying in 
Yarmouth Eoads. The red division, under Monk and 
Deane, in the BesolutioUy numbered 38 sail, carrying 
1,440 guns and 6,169 men. The white, under Penn, 
consisted of 33 sail, with 1,189 guns, and 5,085 men; 
and the blue, under Lawson, of 34 ships, with an arma- 
ment of 1,189 guns, and a complement of 5,015 men. 
The total consisted of — 





Ships. 


Gtihs. 


Men. 


Eed . . 


. 38 


1,440 


6,169 


White. . 


. 33 


1,189 


5,085 


Blue . . 


. 34 


1,189 


5,015 



105 3,818 16,269 



105 ships, carrying 3,818 guns, and 16,269 men; a force 
formidable enough in numbers, but really of less strength 
than our present Mediterranean or North American 



54 DEATH OF DEANE. 

squadrons, so small v/ere the ships, and of siicli slight 
calibre the guns. 

The English admirals, halving received information of 
the disgrace inflicted upon Dover, immediately weighed 
anchor and bore down to engage the enemy. Similar 
tidings despatched to Blake awoke all the earnestness of 
his patriotism, and he streamed down the north coast 
under a press of sail, ardent to vindicate his country's 
wounded honour.* Monk and Deane sighted the enemy 
about three leagues off the Gable, early on the morning 
of the 2nd. of June, when the relative strength of the 
two fleets, whose personnel had undergone some slight 
changes, was — English, 95 men-of-war, and 5 fire-ships ; 
Dutch, 98 men-of-war, and 6 fire-ships. Van Tromp 
held supreme command in the Dutch fleet, supported by 
De Euyter and De Witt. We have already specified the 
English commanders. 

Thus, then, these two formidable armadas swept into 
the hurricane of battle. Lawson, in advance of his 
comrades, drove furiously into the enemy's van, about 
eleven o'clock, and cut off De Euyter's division from the 
main body. But Van Tromp soon came to tlie rescue, 
and Lawson, separated from his wished-for prey, fell 
pell-mell upon a 42-gun ship and sunk it. The Itesolu- 
tion had likewise sailed into the thick of the fight. The 
first broadside which crashed upon its deck slew the 
brave and faithful Deane, a man " who had grown from 
a common mariner to the reputation of a bold and ex- 
cellent officer," and who was so much beloved by his 
men that Monk, with great presence of mind, flung his 
cloak over the dead body, lest at its sight they should 
grow discouraged. t The fight continued until darkness, 
— the Dutch gradually retreating before their eager 
opponents, — when a stout ship commanded by the 
Eear- Admiral Kelson blew up. This increased the 
panic of the Dutch; and though Tromp used every 

* Charnock's Biographia Kavalis. 
t Life of Monk, JDuke of Albemarle. 



ARRIVAL OF BLAKE. 55 

metliod in his power to oblige his officers to do their 
duty, and even fired upon such ships as drew out of the 
line; yet it was to no purpose, but rather served to 
augment their alarm. 

During the night the two fleets lay to and repaired 
damages, while the English, who had now learnt the 
death of their gallant admiral, anxiously looked out for 
the Triumph, and Blake's unconquerable flag. The 
morning came, but the Sea-king was not in sight. 
Some hours were spent by Van Tromp in an endeavour 
to obtain the weather-gage, but he was finally bafiEed by 
a sudden calm, and about noon the battle began. It 
was vigorously contested, and fortune at first seemed 
not to incline to either combatant. But at length the 
ships of Blake hove in sight, and the thunder of his 
guns proclaimed to both friend and foe that the Old Sea- 
king was mingling in the battle. The English now 
fought with redoubled energy, for their commander's 
name was to them a sure omen of victory, 'and despite 
Van Tromp's heroic exertions, the Hollanders sank 
before their rushing onset. The Brederode, indeed, — the 
Dutch admiral's flag-ship, — made a desperate effort to 
recover the fight. She boarded the James, which bore 
the flag of Vice-Admiral Peni:*, but her crew were flung 
back upon their own deck by the resolute English, and 
in their turn were themselves assaulted. The Brederode 
must have fallen into English hands, but Tromp, deter- 
mined not to survive the disgrace of capture, flung a 
light into the powder-magazine, and straightway both 
victors and vanquished were hurled into destruction ! 
By a chance little short of miraculous Tromp escaped 
unhurt, and having hoisted his flag in a quick-sailing 
frigate, passed through his fleet to convince the sailors 
that he was still alive, and to encourage them to freshf 
exertions. But the fight was lost, and as Blake in his 
good ship, the Triumph, rolled the tide of battle heavily 
and more heavily upon the discomfited Hollanders, the 
admiral, unwillingly, gave the signal of retreat. Backed 



56 THE BED CROSS TRIUMPHANT. 

by a strong fresh wind the English pressed lustily for- 
ward. The retreat of the foe degenerated into a flight; 
the pursuit increased to a hot and impetnons chase. 
Night, which is always so merciful to the conquered, 
came at last to the relief of the unfortunate but heroic 
Tromp, and sheltered by its kindly shadows, he carried 
the remainder of his fleet into the Ostend Eoads. On 
that memorable day he had lost eleven men-of-war cap- 
tured, including a vice-admiral and two rear-admirals, 
— and two water-hoys, and one fly-boat. Six men-of- 
war had been sunk, two hlown up, and one burnt. 1,350 
captains, officers, and men had been taken prisoners. 
The black list of the dead and wounded was never pub- 
lished. 

The English, on the other hand, lost not a single 
cockboat, though their ships suffered severely both 
in hulls and rigging. They counted as their slain, only 
126 officers and men, including General Deane, and 
236 wounded. — The victory was as complete as it was 
glorious ! * 

2. The "Swiftsuee."—a.d. 1656-7. 
After various successes against the Spanish, in which 
Blake's famous flag waved triumphantly from ihe top- 
masts of the St. George, the winter drew near ; and as it 
was then considered impossible for heavy men-of-war 
to keep the sea in the storms and gales of the closing 
year, Blake despatched his ships to various home-ports, 
and took up a blockading position before Cadiz with a 
squadron of twenty fast-sailing frigates. The great 

* The Triumph afterwards figured as the flag-ship of Vice- 
Admiral Myngs, in the great battle with the Dutch fought on the 
29th of March, 1665, of which we shall speak hereafter ; and again 
in the action of June 3rd, 1666, and 28th May, 1672, when her 
captain, Willoughby Harman, was mortally wounded. She was also, 
we believe, engaged in the three actions of May 28th, June 4th, and 
August 11th, 1673. As we do not meet with her name again we 
suspect that she was soon afterwards broken up, having gloriously 
served in no less than eight great naval battles, 



ON ACTIVE SERVICE. 57 

admiral's flag was accordingly hoisted on board the 
Swifisure, a vessel of 898 tons burthen, carrying 64 guns 
and 380 men. The duties he proposed to discharge 
with his small squadron were of no slight importance : — • 
to shut the Straits of Gibraltar against the enemy ; to 
destroy, as far as possible, the commerce of Spain with 
her colonial possessions ; to check the depredations of 
the Barbary rovers ; and to intercept, if fortune fa- 
voured, Spain's anxiously-expected fleet of galleons 
laden with the treasures of her Peruvian mines. Ad- 
mirably were these duties discharged by the great Sea- 
king of the Commonwealth ; by him who, even in the 
long list of the Naval Heroes of England, has had no 
equals but Nelson and Dundonald. The Spaniards 
affected not to believe that the English frigates would 
dare the tempestuous seas of winter, but as the months 
passed away, and still, in spite of storms that often 
scattered the gallant little squadron, the Ked Cross 
floated persistently off the harbour of Cadiz, incredulity 
gave way to apprehension, and apprehension gradually'' 
deepened into absolute terror. The year 1657 opened, 
and Blake still remained master of the seas. Early in 
February the Swiftsure bore him to Algiers, and he 
obtained certain concessions from its terrified Dey. 
Next he appeared off Tangier, where the Portuguese 
were sore beset by the Moors, and, with keen sympathy 
for Christian interests, relieved the beleaguered garri- 
son, and drove the besiegers from their works. Yet all 
this time the great admiral laboured under a dangerous 
illness, and the vessels of his squadron were badly 
found and inadequately manned. 

The close of his career, indeed, drew nigh; but it 
was to be illustrated by an achievement of no ordinary 
character, just as the setting sun often goes down in a 
splendour which equals or surpasses its meridian glory. 
Blake received intelligence that the Peru treasure-fleet, 
consisting of six royal galleons and sixteen other great 
ships, had put into one of the Canary Islands, in whole- 



58 SANTA CRUZ HARBOUR. 

some fear 'of the squadron witli Vv^hich. he blockaded 
Cadiz. With characteristic daring he resolved upon an 
attempt to capture it. Accordingly, having gathered 
together his scattered force, now recruited to 25 ships 
and frigates, he set sail, on the 13th of April, for the 
Canary Islands. Tidings of his movements had, by 
some means, reached Don Diego Diagues, the Spanish 
admiral at Santa Cruz, and all that his skill and science 
could suggest was done to improve the defences of that 
strongly-fortified port, which was then esteemed one of 
the most formidable naval positions in the world. 
*' The harbour, shaped like a horseshoe, was defended 
at the north side of the entrance by a regular castle, 
mounted with the heaviest ordnance and well garri- 
soned ; along the inner line of the bay seven powerful 
forts were disposed ; and connecting these forts with 
each other and with the castle was a line of earthworks, 
which served to cover the gunners and musketeers from 
the fire of an enemy. Sufficiently formidable of them- 
selves to appal the stoutest heart, these works were now 
strengthened by the whole force of the Silver Fleet. 
The precious metals, pearls, and jewels were carried on 
shore into the town ; but the usual freightage, hides, 
sugar, spices, and cochineal, remained on board, Don 
Diego having no fears for their safety. The royal gal- 
leons were then stationed on each side the narrow 
entrance of the Bay ; their anchors dropped out, and 
their broadsides turned towards the sea. The other 
armed, vessels were moored in a semicircle round the 
inner line, with openings between them, so as to allow 
full play to the batteries on shore in case of necessity. 
Large bodies of musketeers were placed on the earth- 
works uniting the more solid fortifications ; and in this 
admirable arrangement of his means of resistance 
Diagues waited with confidence the appearance of his 
English assailants." * 

* Hepwortli Dixon's Life of Blake. 



BLAKE MAKES READY.. 59 

The Swiftsure, and her companions, were about three 
leagues off Santa Cruz, and bearing down upon it, with 
all their canvas set, on the morning of Monday, April 
20th. 

Their coming was descried, and their errand under- 
stood, by the captain of a Dutch Yessel then lying in 
the roadstead, who knew something of the sort of blows 
dealt at his enemies by Admiral Eobert Blake. He 
therefore besought of the Spanish admiral his permission 
to withdraw from the coming fray. Diagues endeavoured 
to re-assure him by pointing out the strength of his 
defences, his strongly-armed galleons, his imposing bat- 
teries. *' Xevertheless," said the Dutchman, "I am 
very sure that Blake will soon be in among you." 
" Well," rejoined the Spaniard, *' go, if thou wilt, and 
let Blake come, if he dare." Both the Dutchman and 
Blake availed themselves of the haughty Don's permis- 
sion. 

For, at early dawn, a frigate despatched by Blake on- 
the look out had returned to the English admiral, with 
the welcome intelligence that the rich Peru fleet lay 
in the harbour of Santa Cruz. Aroused from his sick 
bed by the portents of the coming battle, Blake sum- 
moned a council of war, and proposed to break into that 
seemingly impregnable harbour, and, as the breeze 
coming off the land would render it impossible to bring 
out the great galleons, to destroy them where they rode 
in all their defiant majesty. Some of his captains 
thought the attempt must prove fruitless, but the 
majority had long sailed under Blake's flag, and had 
more faith in their commander's fortune and capacity. 
It was resolved to carry out Blake's bold design. About 
half-past six prayers were publicly read on board every 
ship in the fleet, and breakfast was duly served. A 
division of the best ships, under brave Eear-admiral 
StajTier, a man of proved coui'age and experience, was 
then ordered to ride into the port and attack the 
SjDanish galleons ; while Blake, with the remainder of 



60 ^ , THE VICTORY. 

the fleet, hurled a deadly fire against the land-defences. 
Bravely did the rear-admirars ship, the Speaker^ fore- 
most of his division, steer forward into the storm of fire 
which belched out from the castle and batteries on the 
shore, and from the heavy galleons in his face. Then 
Blake, in the Swiftsure, followed by the main body of his 
fleet, rode forward against the land batteries, and 
diverted their cannonade from his rear- admiral's flank. 
For several hours the hot fight lasted ; the Spaniards 
never flinching from the defence, until, one by one, 
their batteries were smitten into silence by the terrible 
cannonade of the English. It was scarcely noon when 
the fire of the whole line of earthworks was so far sub- 
dued that Blake could leave a few frigates to complete 
the work, while he himself moved to the help of 
Stayner, who had for hours supported a contest with a 
greatly superior force. Twice sixty minutes more ol 
crashing shot and devouring flame, and the Eed Cross 
-w^as triumphant! Two galleons had gone down into 
the deeps, and every vessel in the harbour was on fire ! 
" Miles and miles round the scene of action, the lurid 
and fatal lights could be seen, throbbing and burning 
against the dull sky. The fire had done its work 
swiftly and awfully. Not a sail, not a single spar was 
left above water. The charred keels floated hither and 
thither. Some of them filled and sank. Others were 
thrown upon the strand. Here and there the stump of 
a burnt mast projected from the surface; but not a 
single ship — not a single cargo — escaped destruction. 
All went down together in the tremendous calamity." 

Blake, having accomplished his work, had now to 
get his conquering fleet out of the harbour ; a task of 
no little difficulty, as the guns of the fortifications, plied 
by fresh artillerymen, kept up a terrible cannonade. 
But Fortune is ever the handmaid of Valour. The 
wind now suddenly veering towards the south-west, 
soon bore the English ships out of the range of shot. By 
seven o'clock in the evening the entire fleet was safely 



Cromwell's letter. 61 

at sea, — several sliips, indeed, rendered unfit for further 
service, — but still all floating securely with the Eed 
Cross at their mast-heads. About 50 killed and 150 
wounded made up the small loss sustained by the 
English on this wonderful day of deeds and daring.* 

Blake's contemporaries, whether Eoyalist or Eound- 
head, could not fail in admiration of this noble enter- 
prise. " The whole action," writes Lord Chancellor 
Clarendon, " was so miraculous that all men who knew 
the place concluded that no sober man, with what 
courage soever endued, would ever undertake it ; whilst 
the Spaniards comforted themselves with the belief that 
they were devils and not men who had destroyed them 
in such a manner. And it can hardly be imagined how 
small loss the English sustained in this unparalleled 
action ; no one ship being left behind, and the killed 
and wounded not exceeding two hundred men, when 
the slaughter on board the Spanish ships and on the 
shore was incredible." 

The hero then at the head of the English Common- 
wealth was prompt in his recognition of his great sea- 
chieftain ; and addressed to him a noble letter of grati- 
tude : — 

OromweIVs Letter to Blahe, 
**SiR, 

"I HAVE received yours of the '20th of April 
last ;' and thereby the account of the good success it 
hath pleased God to give you at the Canaries, in your 
attempt upon the King of Spain's Ships in the Bay of 
Santa Cruz. 

*' The mercy therein, to us and this Commonwealth, 
is very signal ; both in the loss the Enemy hath re- 
ceived, and also in the preservation of our ships and 
men ; — which indeed was very wonderful ; and according 
to the goodness and loving-kindness of the Lord, where- 
with His People hath been followed in all these late 

* Burton, vol, ii., p. 142. Carlyle's Oliver Cromwell, ill. 



62 CAREER OF THE " SWIFTSURE." 

revolutions ; and call for on oiir part, That we should 
fear before Him, and still hope in His mercy. 

"We cannot bnt take notice also, how eminently it 
hath pleased God to make use of yon in this service ; 
assisting you with wisdom in the conduct, and com^age 
in the execution ; — and have sent you a small Jewel, 
as a testimony of our own and the Parliament's good 
acceptance of your carriage in this Action. We are 
also informed that the Officers of the Fleet, and the 
Seamen, carried themselves with much honesty and 
courage ; and we are considering of a way to shew our 
acceptance thereof. In the meantime, we desire you to 
return our hearty thanks and acknowledgements to them. 

" Thus, beseeching the Lord to continue His presence 
with you, I remain, your very affectionate friend, 

"Oliver P."* 

Meanwhile, the good Swiftsure, with her Admiral on 
board, lying already — though his officers and men were 
slow and unwilling to believe it — in the very arms of 
death, had borne the Eed Cross off the pirate-settlement 
of Sallee, and by the terror of Blake's name, had com- 
pelled the Moorish buccaneers to yield up the Christians 
they had taken prisoners in their piratical expeditions, 
and to agree upon terms of peace. Then, leaving a 
squadron of frigates in the Bay of Cadiz, for the pro- 
tection of English interests, he removed his flag from 
the Swiftsure, hoisted it on board the St George^ and 
very anxious to see " home " before he died, pressed on 
all sail for his beloved England. 

[The Swiftsure, after Blake's removal, appears to have 
remained with the Cadiz squadron. The mission of the 
good ship was not yet accomplished, and in other ocean- 
battles she was to assert the honour of the English 
Navy. In the memorable | action with the Dutch, 
June 3, 1665, she was commanded by the rear-admiral 

* Carlyle's Letters and Speeches of Oliver CromYv^cl], iii., 304. 
Thuiice, vi., 342. 



EXPEDITION AGAINST BARBARY. 63 

of tlie red squadron, the gallant Sir William Berkeley, 
and during the early part of the engagement bore 
almost alone the brunt of the battle. In the great 
fight of June 1, 1666, between the English under 
Monk, Duke of Albemarle, and Van Tromp and the 
Dutch, Sir William Berkeley was killed, with the 
greater portion of his crew, and the Swiftsiire captured.] 

3. The « St. Geoege/' 

The St, George was a fine new ship of 60 guns and 
360 men, in which Blake hoisted his victorious flag in 
1.654. The Protector's government had determined 
to send an expedition against the rovers of the Barbary 
states, who had captured and plimdered many English 
merchant ships, and flung their crews into slavery. 
Blake was appointed to its command. iThe ships of 
which his expedition was mainly composed were 20 in 
number, carrying 794- guns, and 3,870 men; together 
with five smaller vessels ; which brought up the total 
force to 4,100 men and 874 guns. 

It was late in the year 1654 when Blake's squadron 
sailed from the Solent, and steered past Brest into the 
Bay of Biscay. The European powers, not less than 
the people of England, were sorely anxious to learn its 
destination or its object. Events, as the days rolled on, 
told their own lesson. Early in December the St. 
George and her comrades sailed into the Cadiz Eoads. 
A Dutch fleet was lying there ; whose admiral pru- 
dently did homage to the *' haughty islanders" — the 
Puritan Sea-kings — by lowering his flag. " One of oxir 
tenders, parting from the fleet, fell in with a Brest 
admiral, on his way with seven ships-of-war to join the 
Toulon fleet ; but on learning that it belonged to the 
English squadron then at Cadiz, the Frenchman sent 
for the captain into his cabin, told him he was at liberty 
to return, invited him to drink Blake's health in a cup 
of Burgundy, and ordered a salute of five guns to be 
fired in his honour. The renown of Blake's exploits 



64 AN IRRESISTIBLE DEMAND. 

had gone before him to the warlike ports and towns of 
Barbary ; and some Algerine cruisers, having a number 
of English captives on board, brought them as presents 
to appease his wrath. Every prince and people in the 
south who had insulted or outraged the Commonwealth 
learned to tremble at his approach. In imagination 
the Grand Duke of Tuscany already heard the thunder 
of his cannon booming across the waters of Leghorn. 
The terrified Pope gave orders for a solemn procession, 
and the sacred Host was exposed for forty hours, to avert 
the threatening calamity from the dominions of the 
Church."* 

Now it happened that the royalist freebooters, the 
Princes EujDcrt and Maurice, had, during the war main- 
tained by the Commonwealth against Charles I., pirati- 
cally seized upon various English vessels lying in the 
harbours of the Duke of Tuscany, and sold them for 
what money they would fetch. As these outrages had 
been connived at by the Grand Duke, Blake was in- 
structed by Cromwell to demand a suitable compensa- 
tion, fixed in pecuniary value at the sum of 60,000Z. In 
due time the St George and her sister ships appeared 
off Leghorn, and with threatening broadsides Blake 
demanded payment of the money. The Duke was loth 
to part with it, but at last consented to yield up a 
portion of the sum, if allowed to take the advice of his 
venerable friend and ally, the Pope of Eome, with 
respect to the remainder. Inflexible Blake could not 
discern what the Pope had to do with a matter so 
simple, and would hear of no part payment. The 
Grand Duke accordingly found himself constrained to 
send on board the St George the amount demanded, in 
35,000 Spanish and 25,000 Italian pistoles ; and at the 
same time, anxious (we suppose) that his " friend and 
ally," the Pope, should share in his misfortunes, he 
informed Blake that several English ships had been 

* Dixon's Kobert Blake, ' 



BLAKE AND THE DEY OF TUNIS. 65 

sold by tlie marauding Eupert in Eoman ports. The 
English admiral immediately sent off a messenger to 
Alexander VII. demanding a suitable reparation, and 
despite of the protestations, prayers, equivocations, and 
entreaties of the Father of the Church, he was com- 
pelled to disburse to the heretic Blake the sum of 20,000 
pistoles — '* probably," says Mr. Dixon, "the only money 
ever brought from Eoman coffers to enrich the public 
treasury of England." 

Our bold seaman next turned his attention to the 
punishment of the Barbary pirates, who, for many years, 
and with comparative impunity, had preyed upon 
English commerce, made prize of English merchant- 
vessels, and thrown their Christian crews into slavery. 
On the 8th of February 1655, Blake's squadron anchored 
off the Bay of Tunis. The Dey of Tunis had had news 
of his intended visit, and made formidable preparations 
to receive him. His ships were drawn in shore under 
the great guns of his famous castles of Goletta and 
Porto Ferino. The entire circuit of the bay bristled 
with defensive works, and a camp of several thousand 
horse and foot occupied an imposing position. The 
English Admiral's ships, on the other hand, had been 
much injured by foul weather. Their crews were 
weakened with the diseases then so common to a sea- 
faring life. They had but fourteen days' bread and 
five da^^s' drink on board. In these circumstances it 
was deemed advisable that a formal demand should be 
made for the restitution of the English ships seized by 
the Tunisian pirates, and the release of their crews from 
slavery. The Dey, with many professions of the re- 
spect in which, for the future, he would hold the 
English flag, very plainly refused compliance with the 
English xldmiral's prayer. Blake then withdrew, with 
the body of his fleet, to Cagliari, to refit and obtain 
provisions ; while Captain Stayner, with six ships, re- 
mained " on guard " off the port of Tunis. Frigates 
were despatched to the various harbours of Northern 



66 BLAKE ATTACKS TtTiSnS. 

Italy and tlie Spanish, coast to purchase supplies, and 
a sufficient store having been got together after great 
exertions, Blake and the St, George once more appeared, 
on the Sth of March, within sight of Porto Ferino. An 
officer was sent on shore to communicate with the Dey, 
that peace, if possible, might be concluded without 
bloodshed. But the Dey was confident in his own 
strength, and contemptuous of what he supposed to be 
the weakness of the English. He not only treated the 
message of the Admiral with disdain, but refused to 
allow his ships to supply themselves with fresh water. 
'' Tell the Dey," exclaimed Blake, "that God has given 
the benefit of water to all his creatures ; and for men 
to deny it to each other is equally insolent and wicked." 
The Dey replied : — '' Here are our castles of Goletta 
and Porto Ferino : do your worst ; and do not think to 
brave us with the sight of your great fleet."* 

Marvellous was his surprise, nevertheless, when that 
great fleet, instead of opening its fire iipon his castles 
and batteries, suddenly bent sails, and stood out to sea. 
As one by one, the stately vessels of the English dis- 
appeared in the hazy distance, his surprise changed 
into contempt, and he began to think that his one 
hundred and fifty guns had terrified the hearts of the 
English sea-dogs. He was greatly mistaken. When 
the watchfulness of the Tunisians, as Blake had con- 
jectured, relaxed in the face of apparent security, the 
Eed Cross once more burst upon the eyes of the dis- 
mayed corsairs, and early on the 4th of April 1655, the 
English squadron sailed steadily into the harbour, and 
dropped anchor within half musket-range of its for- 
midable batteries. The Newcastle frigate led the van ; 
followed by the Taunton, the Foresight, the Amity, the 
Mermaid, and the Merlin. Then came the heavy ships, 
of which the St. Andrew, the Plymouth, and the St, George 
were the foremost. Anchoring as close as might be 
tinder the cannon of Porto Ferino and the batteries, 
* Lediard's Naval History. 



BLAKE EEADS THE DEY A LESSOR. 67 

the terrible contest^ was begun by the English. A 
tempest of crashing shot fell down upon Blake's bold 
vessels, which replied with a more terrible hurricane, 
and drove ashore a very whirlwind of flame and smoke. 
The wind blew from the sea, and beat the sulphurous 
clouds into the faces of the Tunis gunners ; while every 
ball from the English ordnance made its mark in killed 
and wounded. AVhen the battle was at its height, the 
long boats were lowered from each ship, and under the 
command of John Stokes, the gallant captain of the 
St. George, were despatched on a perilous expedition. 
It was for them to row alongside the pirate-vessels, and 
fling upon their decks a quantity of torches and flaming 
brands. In the face of a dreadful cannonade from the 
shore, this perilous errand was successfully accom- 
plished, and the whole of the corsair-fleet, — nine large 
ships of war, — were speedily devoured by fire. The 
spectacle was so grand and yet so terrible, that for a 
moment it silenced the din of battle, while the en- 
croaching tongues of flame greedily consumed every 
mast, and yard, and spar, and, with a hissing sound, 
dipped deep into each scarred and blackened hull. The 
walls of Goletta and Porto Ferino had, meanwhile, 
crumbled beneath Blake's vigorous broadsides ; and his 
work thus done — and done with the loss of only 25 
men killed and 48 wounded — the victorious admiral 
bore up for another pirate settlement, that of Tripoli. 

The Dey of Tripoli, however, had comprehended the 
value of the lesson which Blake's guns had preached at 
Tunis, and was very willing to salute the English flag 
in honour, and to conclude an amicable arrangement 
with the English government. After a brief trip to 
Venice, Blake now paid a second visit to Tunis, to find 
its Dey also willing to concede all that Cromwell had 
demanded. At Algiers too the sovereign was wonder- 
fully courteous. Thus the shores of the Mediterranean 
echoed with the fame of Blake, and with the power 
and glory of the ruler of England ; and the Eed Cross 

E 2 



68 THE SEA-KING WAXES FAINf . 

swept over the seas — a terror to all enemies and evil- 
doers ! 

After a long but glorious cruise the Admiral, towards 
the end of 1655, returned to England, and struck his 
flag on board the St. George. Illness was undermining 
his vital powers, and he longed for peace and repose in 
the hope of recruiting his shattered frame. But England 
could not long dispense with his valuable^ services, and 
we find him again afloat, in " the Naseby," early in 
1656. In the Nasehy he cruised off Cadiz until October, 
when he removed his flag to the Swiftsure, whose'' share 
in the glorious attack on Santa Cruz we have already 
related (pp. 59, 60). 

It was after that memorable exploit that the old Sea- 
king again hoisted his flag on board of his old flag- 
ship, the St. George, and steered for Home. He was 
slowly dying. " A life of shocks," daring, and deeds — 
of continuous action and marvellous endurance — had 
worn out his once stalwart frame, and Blake was 
reduced to the very extremity of feebleness. His 
death-voyage has been described with eloquent sim- 
plicity by Hepworth Dixon : — " While the ships 
rolled,'^ he writes, *Hhrough the tempestuous Bay of 
Biscay, he grew every day worse and worse. Some 
gleams of the old spirit broke forth as he approached 
the latitude of England. He inquired often and 
anxiously if the white cliffs were yet in sight. He 
longed to behold once more the swelling downs, the 
free cities, the goodly churches of his native land. But 
he was now dying beyond all doubt. Many of his 
favourite officers silently and mournfully crowded 
round his bed, anxious to catch the last tones of a voice 
which had so often called them to glory and victory. 
Others stood at the poop and forecastle, eagerly examin- 
ing every speck and line on the horizon, in hope of 
being first to catch the welcome glimpse of land. 
Though they were coming home crowned with laurels, 
gloom and pain were in every face. At last the Lizard 



HIS DEATH. 69 

was announced. Shortly afterwards the bold cliffs and 
bare hills of Cornwall loomed out grandly in the dis- 
tance. But it was now too late for the dying sailor. 
He had sent for the captains and other great officers of 
his fleet to bid them farewell; and w^hile they were 
yet in his cabin, the undulating hills of Devonshire, 
glowing with the tints of early autumn, came full in 
view. As the ships rounded Eame Head, the spires 
and masts of Plymouth, the wooded heights of Mount 
Edgecombe, the low island of St. Nicholas, the rocky 
steeps at the Hoe, Mount Batten, the citadel, the many 
picturesque and familiar features of that magnificent 
harbour rose one by one to sight. But the eyes which 
had yearned to behold this scene once more, were at 
that very instant closing in death. Foremost of the 
victorious squadron, the St. George rode with its pre- 
cious burden into the Sound ; and just as it came within 
view of the eager thousands crowding the beach, the 
pier-heads, the walls of the citadel, or darting in count- 
less boats over the smooth waters between St. Nicholas 
and the docks, ready to catch the first glimpse of the 
hero of Santa Cruz, and salute him with a true English 
welcome, — he, in this silent cabin, in the midst of his 
lion-hearted comrades, now sobbing like little children, 
yielded up his soul to God. 

*' The mournful news soon spread through the fleet 
and in the town. The melancholy enthusiasm of the 
people knew no bounds, and the national love and 
admiration expressed itself in the solemn splendour of 
his funeral rites. The day of his death the corpse was 
left untouched in its cabin, as something sacred; but 
next morning skilful embalmers were employed to 
open it ; and, in presence of all the great officers of the 
fleet and port, the bowels were taken out and placed 
in an urn, to be buried in the great church in Plymouth. 
The body, embalmed and wrapt in lead, was then put 
on board again and carried round by sea to Greenwich, 
where it lay in state several days, on the spot since 



70 HIS CHARACTER. 

consecrated to the noblest hospital for seamen in the 
world." 

On the 4th of September, it was borne, in grand pro- 
cession, up the river from Greenwich to Westminster, 
— the trumpets pealing forth a solemn dirge, and artil- 
lery filling the resonant skies with a dull drear thunder. 
At Westminster Stairs the procession was re-marshalled 
by the heralds, and conducted through Palace Yard 
into the old historic Abbey, where, in a vault in Henry 
the Seventh's gorgeous chapel, was laid the dust of 
Eobert Blake, " Admiral and General at Sea." 

The Puritan hero's character as a seaman has been 
faithfully drawn by the royalist historian. Clarendon : 

*' He was the first man that declined the old track, 
and made it manifest that the science might be attained 
in less time than was imagined; and despised those 
rules which had long been in practice, to keep his, ship 
and his men out of danger, which had been held in 
former times a point of great ability and circumspection, 
as if the principal art requisite in the captain of a ship 
had been to be sure to come home safe again. He was 
the first that infused that proportion of courage into 
the seamen, by making them see by experience what 
mighty things they could do if they were resolved, 
and taught them to fight in fire as well as upon water ; 
and though he hath been very well imitated and fol- 
lowed, he was the first that drew the copy of naval 
courage, and bold and resolute achievement." 

[We have now to indicate briefly the future career of 
the St, George. Blake's flag-ship was commanded by the 
gallant Joseph Jordan, a Commonwealth seaman, in 
the sea-fight of the 3rd of June 1665, and she held 
her own, in a manner not unworthy of her former com- 
mander, in the actions with the Dutch in the two suc- 
ceeding years. In the Earl of Sandwich's memorable 
action with De Euyter, off Solebay, on the 28th May 
1672, the St. George was hotly engaged, and -lost her 



ABOUT THE " ST, GEORGE." 71 

gallant captain, Geoffrey Pearce, as well as a large pro- 
portion of her crew in killed and wounded. In the 
following year she was in the thick of the battle 
between the English, tinder Prince Eupert and Sir 
Edward Spragge, and the Dutch, under De Enyter and 
Banequert (August 11, 1673). The English, on this 
occasion, were disgracefully deserted by their pretended 
allies, the French, and being consequently outnumbered 
by the Dutch, retreated slowly towards their own coast, 
while maintaining a spirited running fire. Spragge, at 
first, had his flag hoisted in the Moydl Prince, which, 
after a severe fight of three hours' duration, with Van 
Tromp, in the Golden Lion, — a far more powerful ship, 
— was so shattered, that the English seaman was com- 
pelled to remove his flag to the >S'^. George. The Dutch 
Admiral, at the same time, hoisted his on board the 
Comet, and the two chiefs again renewed the fight. 
After a fierce engagement, the St. George lost her main- 
mast. Spragge, with a resolution worthy of an English 
sea-king, again took to his barge to go on board the 
JEtoyal Charles^ but had scarcely quitted the St. George^ 
when a chance shot sunk his boat, and the gallant 
seaman and most of his boat's crew were drowned. This 
appears to have been the last action in which the 
St. George bore the English flag.] 



CHAPTEK V. 

THE "ROYAL CHARLES " (OR, *' NASEBY "). ' 

[Period of Service : The Protectorate, and' Keign of Charles II. to 

A.D. 1667. 
Strength : 78 guns, 558 men.] 

" The Nasehy, now no longer England's shame. 
But better to be lost in Charles's name, 
Receives her lord." — Dry den, Astrasa JRedux, 

The Nasehy, a fine first-rate of 80 guns, witli a comple- 
ment of 558 men, was named in commemoration of the 
great figlit wliicli, in 1646, finally shattered the pros- 
pects of the Eoyal cause, and gave the sovereignty of 
England into the hands of the Parliament. She was 
one of the noble vessels built by the orders of Sir Henry 
Vane, while that able administrator presided over the 
naval affairs of the Commonwealth, and was launched at 
Deptford about 1652. In the English navy, as that 
navy was then constituted, she was justly regarded as a 
triumph of marine architecture, and well fitted to bear 
the Ked Cross in honour before any of England's foes ; 
but both in size and swiftness, it may here be remarked, 
she was excelled by the Sovereign, which carried 1,100 men 
and 88 guns, of which twenty were heavy 40-pounders. 
In the memorable ocean-battles of the Common- 
wealth the Nasehy bore herself as became a vessel so 
proudly named ; but of these we have already spoken, 
and it was not until March 1656 that she was honoured 
with an Admiral's flag. Eobert Blake and the gallant 
Montagu, afterwards Earl of Sandwich, then selected 
her as their flag-ship, when they received the joint com- 
mand of the fleet destined to chastise the insolence of 



THE "naseby" in peril. 73 

Spain. From *' aboard the Nasehy in St. Helen's Road," 
March 16, 1656, we find Blake writing to the Secretary 
Thurlow, — " we are now getting an anchor aboard, 
making ready to sail, although there be little wind, or 
none at all." The Nasehy and the fleet soon afterwaids 
got under weigh, and in the first week of June anchored 
in Cascaes Road at the 'mouth of the Tagus. The sight 
of their terrible broadsides soon menaced King John of 
Portugal, hitherto well inclined to side with Spain, into 
compliance with the Protector's demands, and into 
pecimiary compensation for the damages he had wrong- 
fully inflicted upon English commerce. The two 
admirals next sailed for Cadiz, and while riding in that 
capacious bay, the Nasehy narrowly escaped destruction 
in a fearful tempest. About one hour past midnight, 
when she was safely riding at anchor and defying the 
violence of the gale, Captain Vallis's ship, the Taunton, 
with rent canvas and unshipped rudder, was seen to be 
driving directly down upon her, threatening to strike 
her right amidships. Lights were hung out, and loud 
voices shouted an order to her captain to get up a new 
sail ; but, at first, it seemed that no efforts could avert a 
fatal collision. Blake, as a last chance, had ordered his 
cables to be cut adrift, when, on a sudden, it pleased 
God in very mercy that the ToAinton let slip, and 
** getting a sail open with much ado steered clear off us, 
else one or both of us, in all likelihood, had immediately 
gone to the bottom." Soon afterwards the Nasehy, and 
most of the great ships, returned to England, and Blake, 
hoisting his flag in the Swifisure, went forward to his 
last, and, perhaps, his greatest triumph. 

When the reins of power slipped from the feeble 
hands of Richard Cromwell, and the silent and astute 
Monk effected the restoration of Charles II. to the 
throne his vices afterwards blackened with a foul dis- 
grace, the Nasehy formed one of the squadron of escort 
despatched to Breda to bring home the royal profligate. 
That her name might bring back to his recollection no use- 



74 dryden's poetical enthusiasm. 

fill lesson, nor convey a signal warning to his thoiiglitless 
mind, she was formally re-christened as the Boyal Charles 
— a dishonour of which, perhaps, her old Commonwealth 
sailors, if such were still retained among her crew, would 
bel^keenly sensible. On the 23rd of May 1660, while 
flags streamed gaily to the wind, and cannon thundered 
out their noisy welcome, Charles II. embarked on board 
her at Scheveling, escorted by Admiral Montagu, and a 
noble squadron of those famous vessels which had 
asserted the supremacy of the Eed Cross in many a 
fiery battle. On the 25th he landed at Dover ; to be 
received with a storm of enthusiastic adulation. 

This memorable royal voyage has been described by 
the poet Dryden in lines of spirited exaggeration. — 
'* Oh, had you seen," he cries, — 

" Oh, had you seen from Scheveling's barren shore, 
(Crowded with troops, and barren now no more,) 
Afflicted Holland to his farewell bring 
True sorrow, Holland to regret a king ! 
Yfhile waiting him his royal fleet did ride. 
And willing winds to their lowered sails denied. 
The wavering streamers, flags, and standards out, 
The merry seamen's rude but cheerful shout ; 
And last the cannons' voice that shook the sM-es, 
And, as it fares in sudden ecstasies, 
At once bereft us both of ears and eyes. 
The Ncisehy, now no longer England's shame, 
But better to be lost in Charles s name, 
(Like some unequal bride in nobler sheets,) 
Eeceives her lord : the joyful London meets 
The princely York, himself alone a freight ; 
The Swiftsure groans beneath great Gloster's weight : 
Secure as when the Halcyon breeds, with these. 
He that was born to drown could cross the seas." 

Such is the poet's picture of the royal voyage. In 
equally glowing phrase he depicts the King's landing at 
Dover : — 

*' Methinks I see those crowds on Dover's strand. 
Who, in their haste to welcome you to land. 
Choked up the beach with their still-growing store, 
And made a wilder torrent on the shore ; 



WAU WITH THE DUTCH. 75 

While, spiirr'd with eager thoughts of past delight, 
Those, who had seen you, court a second sight ; 
Preventing still your steps, and making haste 
To meet you often, wheresoe'er you pass'd. 
How shall I speak of that triumphant day, 
When you renewed th' expiring pomp of May !" 

But from the sweet music of ''Apollo's lute" we 
must now be fain to turn our ears to the stormier echoes 
of '* Bellon^'s strains." The Boyal Charles was no 
vessel for holiday pomp alone, and as one of the finest 
men-of-war in the English navy was selected, in 1665, 
for the flag-ship of James Duke of York, then placed in 
chief command of the immense fleet fitted out against 
the Dutch. 

For nearly four years a chronic state of warfare had 
existed between England and the States, and acts had 
been committed on each side which assuredly the 
present age would not consider in accordance with the 
principles of International Law. Proclamation of war, 
however, was not' openly made until 1665, when the 
Dutch declared hostilities in January, and England in 
the succeeding month. Great exertions were made by 
both combatants to prepare for the desperate struggle. 
The English fleet was composed of 110 ships of war, 
carrying 4,537 guns, and 22,206 men, — exclusive of 
fire-ships, bombs, and ketches. 

The Dutch fleet, of 121 sail, including 11 fire-ships, 
and 7 yachts, was commanded by Admirals Opdam, Gor- 
tenaer, John and Cornelius Van Evertzen, Schram, and 
Cornelius Tromp. " Admiral Opdam was one of the 
best seamen the States could boast, but his policy was 
of a Fabian character. Knowing the unfortunate 
results which had attended all their sea-fights with the 
English, he wished to avoid a general engagement, and 
to harass and ruin their commerce by pouncing upon 
single ships,^ convoys, or fleets of merchantmen. But 
the Prince of Orange having ordered him, at all 
hazards, to fight _ the English, he, to avoid the impu- 



76 A FIERCE ENGAGEMENT. 

tations wMcli miglit ottierwise be cast upon his conduct, 
with this order resolved to comply. He called a 
council of war, but found his officers averse to an en- 
gagement. * Your sentiments are mine,' he exclaimed, 
' but here are my orders. To-morrow my head shall be 
bound with laurel or with cypress !' " * 

The Dutch fleet hove in sight of the English coast, 
at noon, on the first of June, and the Duke of York im- 
mediately put to sea. After a series of wearisome man- 
oeuvres, a change of wind,— early on the morning of 
the 3rd, — ^gave the advantage of the weather-gage to the 
English, who immediately bore down upon the enemy, 
in a formidable line which extended many miles ; 
Prince Kupert leading the van, the Duke of York the 
centre, and the Earl of Sandwich the rear. The centre 
of the Dutch line was led by the gallant Opdam, the 
van by Cornelius Tromp. An attack upon the English 
centre commenced about three o'clock in the morning, 
and both fleets were soon driving into the press of the 
terrible melee. Soon after six a.m. the Dutch, finding 
themselves unable to penetrate the English line, bore 
up and passed to leeward ; a movement frustrated by 
the English rear tacking in obedience to signal from 
the Moyal Charles and closing with the enemy; — Sir 
John Lawson, in the Moyal Oak, sweeping into the 
heart of the fire, followed at a short interval by the 
Duke of York himself. Soon afterwards the Dutch 
fleet was completely cut into two divisions by the fury 
of the English onset, and the battle raged with a terrible 
degree of earnestness. The deadly character of the 
fight told fearfully both on the English and their foe. 
On board the Boyal Charles four gallant young volun- 
teers — the Earls of Portland and Falmouth, Lord Mus- 
kerry, and the Honourable Mr. Boyle — were smitten to 
death^by one shot. Eear- Admiral Sansum fell on board 
the Besolution ; the Earl of Marlborough, on board the 
Boyal James ; brave Sir John Lawson received a wound 
* Adams's Sea-Kings of England, 



TREACHERY, OR COWARDICE? 77 

in the knee of which he afterwards died ; and three 
other captains fell in the battle. The total number of 
killed was 250, and of wounded, 340. 

The Dutch lost two fine men-of-war, blown up ; four, 
destroyed by an English fire-ship ; three which fouled 
and were burnt by another fire-ship; and in sunk, 
captured, burnt or blown up, in all, four and twenty 
vessels. Their crews fought obstinately : so that the 
slain and wounded are said to have numbered 6,000, 
and about 2,500 were taken prisoners. The Boyal 
Charles engaged Opdam's ship — the Concord, of 84 guns 
— with such persistent fuiy, that in less than an hour, 
the latter caught fire, and blew up with her admiral and 
all on board. The van of the Dutch fieet, suddenly 
stricken with a panic discouragement, bore off for the 
Texel, followed, as quickly as might be, by such ships 
of the other division as could escape the death-grapple 
of the English. 

But though the victory remained so decidedly with 
the English it was not followed up with the energy 
which had secured it. Whether this mishap arose from 
state reasons which have never been revealed, or from 
the timidity or folly of one Henry Brouncker, the 
Duke of York's gentleman of the bedchamber, is now an 
historical mystery impenetrable to the keenest wit and 
most eager curiosity. It appears that when night closed 
in, over the vanquished and the vanquisher, a council 
of war was held on board of the Boyal Charles, whereat 
the immediate attendants and friends of the Duke 
distinguished themselves by their affected solicitudS 
for the safety of the royal person, entreating him to 
remain content with the success already gained. James, 
however, had undoubtedly an Englishman's bravery, 
and persisted in giving orders to set all sail in pursuit 
of the Dutch fleet. When they should heave in sight of 
the enemy he directed his attendants to arouse him. 
In the course of the night, however, Brouncker sud- 
denly appeared on deck, and directed Sir William Penn, 



78 Sm JOHN denham's satihe. 

as if from the Admiral, to slacken sail. The gallant old 
seaman J though highly inflamed by the receipt of such 
a message, could not dare to disobey it. But when the 
Duke's sleep was ended, "he, upon his waking, went 
out on the quarter-deck, and seemed amazed to see the 
sails slackened, and that thereby all hope of overtaking 
the Dutch was lost. He questioned Penn upon it; 
Penn put it upon Brouncker^^ who said nothing. The 
Duke denied that he had given any such order ; but he 
neither punished Brouncker for carrying it, nor Penn 
for obeying it." And in this impenetrable mystery the 
whole transaction is still overshrouded. The poet, 
Sir John Denham, in his '* Directions to a Painter," a 
clever piece of satirical ruggedness, has a happy allu- 
sion to the incident : — 

** Now all conspire unto the Dutchman's loss ; 
The wind, the fire, we they themselves do cross ; 
When a sweet sleep began the Duke to drown, 
And with soft diadems his temples crown ; 
And first he orders all the crew to watch, 
And they the foe, while he a nap doth catch. 
But lo, Brounker, by a secret instinct, 
Slept not, nor needed ; — lie all day had ivinTct 
The Duke in bed, he then first draws his steel, 
"Whose vu'tue makes the misled compass wheel ; 
So, e'er he waked, both fleets were innocent ; 
But Brounker Member is of Parliament," 

Had this victory been more complete, nor frustrated 
in its consequences by the timidity or treachery of this 
"Bedchamber parasite, it is possible that an earlier termi- 
nation might have been put to the Dutch war, and 
England have saved much treasure, many valuable 
lives, and some amount of reputation. But neither 
combatant as yet had tasted sufficient blood, and in 
1666, the narrow seas were once more alive with hostile 
vessels. Unhappily, the English fleet now suffered 
from the perils of a divided command. Between Prince 
Eupert and Monk, Duke of Albemarle — both brave 



DEFEAT OF THE DUTCH. 79 

men ; tlie former a dashing seaman, and the latter an 
approved general — a bad feeling had long existed, and 
neither was snfficiently the patriot to prefer the in- 
terests of his country to the indulgence of a private 
feud. 

On the 1st of June 1666, Monk found himself with 
his division of 60 ships in sight of the Dutch fleet, at 
anchor, in very superior force, off the Goodwins. Hoping 
to be speedily joined by Prince Eupert's squadron, the 
Duke, with characteristic courage, bore down upon 
them, and a fierce conflict ensued ; in whiqjl^ despite all 
the steady valour and unflinching endurance of the 
English, superiority of numbers carried the day. Sir 
"William Berkeley was killed, and his ship, and two 
others were captured, and many of the English vessels 
so shattered as to be scarcely able to keep the sea. 
The battle was continued on the following day with 
doubtful fortune. On the 3rd the Dutch were reinforced 
by 16 fresh ships, — a plenitude of strength with which 
Monk felt it was impossible to contend. He, therefore, 
bore up in search of his dilatory comrade. Prince Eupert, 
who, with his 20 ships, was at last fallen in with, 
towards night. On the 6th, the battle was resumed 
under these new conditions ; but the Dutch still pos- 
sessed such a preponderance of force that, though the 
English fought with desperate bravery, they were even- 
tually compelled to retire with severe loss. 

In these sanguinary actions the Boyal CJiarles bore no 
inconsiderable share, and she was again present in the 
great victory off the ISTorth Foreland, fought on July 
25th. The English fleet was still commanded by 
Kupert and Albemarle, and consisted of 89 men-of-war 
and 18 fire-ships. The Dutch mustered an equal force, 
under De Euyter, Cornelius Tromp, and Evertzen. 
After a hotly contested action the Dutch fell back, in 
fierce haste, upon their own dull coast, with a loss of 20 
ships, and 4,000 killed and wounded. 

This decisive victory has been nobly celebrated in 



80 HEROIC DEATH. 

the Annus MirabiUs, and with the poet's splendid picture 
we cannot refrain from adorning our pages : — 

*' Now van to van the foremost squadrons meet, 
The midmost battles hasting np behind : 
Who view far off the storm of falling sleet, 
And hear their thunder rattling in the wind. 

" At length the adverse admirals appear ; 

The two bold champions of each country's right : 
Their eyes describe the lists as they come near, 
And draw the lines of death before they fight. 

" Fierce was the fight on the proud Belgians' side, 
For hdiour, which they seldom sought before : 
But now they by their own vain boasts were tied, 
And forced, at least in show, to prize it more. 

** But sharp remembrance on the English part, 
And shame of being matched by such a foe, 
Eouse conscious virtue up in every heart. 
And seeming to be stronger makes them so. 

" Nor long the Belgians could that fleet sustain, 
Wliich did two generals' fates and Ciesar's bear : 
Each several ship a victory did gain, 

As Kupert or as Albermarle were there."— Dr?/cZew. . 

To US it seems the most fitting death for a hero, — for 
a soldier whose laurel is red with the flames of a 
thousand fights, or a seaman whose ocean-triumphs have 
resounded on every shore, — to die in the flush of his 
greatest success. " The most triumphant death," says 
South ey, " is that of the martyr; the most awful that of 
the martyred patriot ; the most splendid that of the 
hero in the hour of victory." And so it would seem 
that a gallant war-ship, whose tall masts have borne in 
hgnour the meteor-flag of England through the depths 
of the battle, and from whose threatening sides a' 
hundred guns have told of England's might and majesty, 
should sink to rest in the waters she has so proudly 
ridden, or yield up her life, as it were, in the heart of 
the triumphant flames. To rot in the black mud of the 
Medway, or the rank ooze of Portsmouth Harbour, or 
to end her career as a grimy and loathsome *' convict 



CAPTURE OF THE ** EOYAL CHARLES." 81 

hulk " seems but a poor destiny for the stately vessel 
which has been distinguished by the flag of a Hawke, a 
Nelson, or a Collingwood. 

No such destiny, indeed, but even a more inglorious 
fate, was reserved for the Boyal Charles; — the noble 
ship which had borne no dishonourable part in the 
great Dutch wars of the Commonwealth, and had been 
chosen to convey to English shores her " restored 
monarch." She was lying at Chatham for repair, when, 
in June 1667, a Dutch fleet appeared in the Thames, 
and owing to the criminal neglect of the king and his 
ministers, sailed unopposed up the river Medway, ascend- 
ing as high as Upnor Castle, in the very face of English 
forts and guns ! Everything was in dire confusion : 
batteries were inadequately mounted, or not mounted 
at all. Ammunition could not be found for the gunners. 
There was no guiding spirit to rally the men of Kent 
against the invaders, and so the insolent thunder of the 
Dutch artillery rolled up the valley of the Thames, 
and sounded even in. the luxurious seraglio of the diKSSo- 
lute Charles. Meanwhile, the Loyal London, considered 
the finest ship of the time, — the Great James, — and the 
Boyal Oah, all first-rates of great size and strength, 
were destroyed by fire, but the Boyal Charles, — as if in 
greater mockery of the English sovereign, — the Dutch 
bore away as a trophy of their triumph. 

In a few days after this signal disgrace, — which was 
keenly felt by the English people, if disregarded by the 
English court, — peace was concluded between England 
and Holland, and the Dutch fleet retired from the 
Thames. 



82 



CHAPTEB VI. 

THE STOEY OF THE " CENTURION." 

[Period of Service : Eeign of George II. 
Strength : 60 guns, 400 men.] 

*' I'll read you matter deep and dangerous ; 
As full of peril and adventurous spirit, 
As to o'erwalk a current, roaring loud. 
On the unsteadfast footing of a spear." — Slialispeare. 

Lives there a lad of Saxon growth whose imagination 
has not been fired by the tales of wild adventure and 
the legends of daring enterprise, which inform, with 
the very spirit of romance, the lives of our early Sea- 
kings ? Is there an English lad, who having once 
dipped into the enchanted pages of HaMuyt or Pnrchas, 
• — who having once perused the stirring record of the 
wonderful exploits of Drake, and Cavendish, Oxenham, 
and Sir Henry Morgan, — but straightway dreams for 
himself the bravest dreams of deeds to be done on the 
haunted shores of the Spanish Main, of fresh Panamas 
to be sacked by a handful of gallant Eugiishmen, of 
newly laden galleons to be captured by the tiniest 
English cockboats imaginable ? What boy but imagines 
for himself a Juan Fernandez where, monarch of all he 
surveys, he will fortify himself in his lonely, wave- 
beaten island ? Oh, those old Voyages ! Those pre- 
ciously quaint narratives of wanderings in unknown 
seas and visits to shores never before trodden by Euro- 
pean foot ! What a wonderful freshness breathes in 
every page ! As one reads, there seems to ring in one's 
ears the music of the " mysterious main," and there 
comes from afar the perfume of strange flowers, and one 



YOUTHFUL EEMINISCENCES. 83 

moves, as it were, in a world of wild enchantment, 
where wealthy Spaniards, and bead-counting priests, 
and generous Indians flit to and fro like phantoms. 
Who does not 'envy Balboa his first glimpse of the 
Pacific, when he stood 

" Silent, upon a peak in Darien ?" 

"Who would not have been with Ponce de Leon in his 
romantic quest after the Fountain of Eternal Youth? 
Who would not have wished to sail with Drake in the 
Golden Hind ? Even into our later life penetrates the 
wild romantic truth of these adventurous pages, mingling 
with the sombre tide of our everyday existence a current 
of brighter aspect, and lifting us up from that worldli- 
ness in which our hearts would otherwise be eternally 
steeped into a fresher and purer atmosphere. 

With us, in our early days, a favourite book was the 
dusty, thin, and somewhat mouldy quarto which told of 
the gallant Anson's circumnavigation of the world in his 
good ship the Centurion, How we devoured -its pages ! 
How we sympathized with the intrepid chief when he 
sought to cheer his scurvy-stricken crew ! How we 
lingered over the pleasant picture of the tents at Juan- 
Fernandez, and enjoyed the brightness of the streams 
which rolled down on either side of the Commodore's 
canvas-palace! And, finally, how we rejoiced whem 
the Centurion, after many months of weary watching, 
came in sight of the great Spanish treasure-ship and 
compelled her to strike her flag, and how grand it 
seemed to us that Spain which, in the days of Elizabeth, 
arrogantly pretended to the sovereignty of the world, 
was at last beaten down on her knees, and compelled to 
acknowledge the supremacy of the Eed Cross ! EJicu, 
nan sum qualis eram, but we have still a secret affection 
for the bold tales of the buccaneers and the history of 
the matchless valour of our English Sea-kings ! 

The Centurion was not a new vessel when Anson 
hoisted his Commodore's pennant on board her in July 

F 2 



84 ANSO^^'S SQUADRON. 

1740, but lier antecedents are not of sufficient import- 
ance to require any detailed notice in these pages. She 
was an ordinary 60-gun ship, carrying as her full com- 
plement 400 men, and is said to have been much in 
want of repair when ordered to form one of the expedi- 
tion destined against the opulent city of Manilla, — the 
capital and *' queen " of the Philippine Islands. Her 
consorts were in almost as bad a condition as herself, 
and none of them were adequately manned. Indeed, it 
would seem as if the English ministry, upon whom the 
war with Spain had been forced by popular clamour, 
had beforehand determined on the ill-success of the 
expedition. The total strength of Anson's little squad- 
ron may be seen in the following table : — 

Ships. Guns. Men. 

The Centurion . , 60 400 Commodore George Anson. 

f{(\ ^f\r\ /Captain Richard Norris. 

ou 6W ^(Afterwards Captain Mitchell.) 

50 300 Captain Edward Legg. 



The Gloucester 
The Severn . 
The Fearl , 



The Wager . 
The Trial Sloop 



d.(\ o^n / Captain TMatthew Mitchell, 

^u zou ^(Afterwards Captain Kidd.) 

9Q tan j Captain Kidd. 

Z8 iw I (Afterwards Captain Murray.) 

Q T^^ ] Hon. John Murray. 

» luu |(Afterwards Lieut. Cheap.) 



This small force was attended by two transports of 400 
and 200 tons respectively, and had on board a military 
quota, considerately composed of " aged and decrepit 
invalids." Such was the expedition intended to operate 
against one of the most important colonies of Spain ! 

After many tedious delays Anson's squadron left 
Spithead, on the 18th of September, and, as if to indicate 
its future disasters, was no less than 40 days on its 
voyage to Madeira. While refitting at this pleasant 
isle Capt. Norris resigned the command of the Gloucester, 
on the plea of ill-health, and Capt. Mitchell was pro- 
moted to the vacancy. The squadron then bore away 
for the Brazils, making a long and tedious passage 
against contrary winds and heav^i seas, while sickness 



THE ISLE OF FIRE. 85 

broke out with fatal effect upon the ill-found and badly- 
manned ships. In due time they made the Island of 
St. Catherine, on the coast of Brazil, and here Anson 
landed his invalids (to the number of 80 from the 
Centurion alone), of whom nearly one-fifth speedily suc- 
cumbed to their mortal maladies. After a brief interval 
of repose the expedition gladly made sail from that sad 
isle of graves (18th January 1741), and commenced a 
southward course. To refit the Trial Sloop, which leaked 
terribly and was almost unseaworthy, the Commodore 
put into the Bay of St. Julian, on the coast of Patagonia, 
where Magellan's fleet had wintered in 1520, and Drake 
passed the summer in 1578. The gi"^bet on which the 
unfortunate Doughty was hung here attracted the atten- 
tion of the adventurers. 

The wild bleak scenery of Patagonia does not appear 
to have commended itself to Anson's men, who gazed 
with surprise upon its cloud-piled mountain-peaks and 
broad tracts of sterile country, never enlivened by the 
freshness of verdure or the varying colours of a thousand 
flowers. The puma and the wolf, the wild emu and the 
quaint armadillo inhabit its desolate plains, and seem to 
contend for their occupancy with the scanty tribes of 
the native Patagonians and their numerous herds of wild 
shaggy horses. These rude and inhospitable savages, 
whom the early voyagers described as a nation of giants, 
are in reality a people of more than ordinary stature and 
strength — muscular, athletic men, averaging six feet in 
height. Very different, indeed, the inhabitants of the 
wave-beaten Isle of Fire, — the mountainous Tierra del 
Fuego, — which Anson's ships sighted early in the month 
of March. These are a puny, weak, and diminutive 
race, whose chief sustenance is derived from fishing. 
An American explorer (Capt. Wilkes) confirms, and 
enlarges upon, the accounts of earlier navigators : — 
*' The natives of these islands," he says, *'are not more 
than five feet high, of a light copper colour, which is 
much concealed by smut and dirt, particularly on their 



86 THE ISLANDERS DESCRIBED. 

faces, wliicli they mark vertically- with charcoal. They 
have short faces, narrow foreheads, and high cheek- 
bones. Their eyes are small, and usually black, the 
tipper lids in the inner corner overlapping the under 
one, and bear a strong resemblance to those of the 
Chinese. The nose is broad and flat, with wide-spread 
nostrils, mouth large, teeth white, large, and regular. 
The hair is long, lank, and black, hanging over the 
face, and covered with white ashes, which gives them a 
hideous appearance. The w^hole face is compressed. 
'Their bodies are remarkable from the great develop- 
ment of the chest, shoulders, and vertebral column ; 
their arms are Ipng and out of proportion ; their legs 
small, and ill-made. There is, in fact, little difference 
between the size of the ankle and leg ; and, when stand- 
ing, the skin at the knee hangs in a large, loose fold. 
In some, the muscles of the leg appear almost wanting, 
and possess very little strength. The want of develop- 
ment of the muscles of the legs is owing to their constant 
sitting posture, both in their huts and canoes. Their 
skin is sensibly colder than ours. It is impossible to 
fancy anything in human nature^^ more filthy. They 
are an ill-shapen and ugly race." For the convenience 
of fishing they build their huts as close to the shore as 
possible, — constructing them of boughs or small trees 
fastened in the earth, with a roof of matted grass or 
woven bark. Their form is that of a circle, with a 
diameter of seven or eight feet ; height, about five feet. 
Between Staten Island and Tierra del Fuego roll the 
stormy waters of the Straits of Lemaire. Scarcely had 
Anson's squadron weathered the dangerous passage (7th 
of March 1741) ere "the lurid cloud-drifts came scud- 
ding up the horizon: the winds gathered; the waters 
heaved with tumultuous throes ; snow and sleet fell 
blindingly around them; the storm-tost vessels were 
hurled from side to side with so dread a violence that 
many men were flung about the decks, and killed out- 
right. An affecting incident occurred at this conjunc- 



A TERRIBLE INCIDENT. 87 

ture. A sailor belonging to the Centurion fell overboard. 
He swam well; lie swam bravely and stoutly, still 
keeping liis face towards the vessel, and straining his 
aching eyes for the relief his comrades could not afford 
him. Such was the fury of the storm the ship could 
not be put about, and it sped away with terrible swift- 
ness from the drowning mariner — 

* Who still renewed the strife 
Upheld by buoyant hope and love of life ' — 

but was at length outworn by the wrestling waters, and 
compelled to yield the unequal struggle." 

A tempest of even more terrible violence visited the 
ill-fated expedition on the 4th of April, and in the 
height of the gale the Wager was driven so far away to 
leeward that she was unable to rejoin the squadron. 
The tale of her buffetings to and fro for many a weary 
month, and of the sufferings of her crew, has a wild 
weird interest of its own ; but we must be content to 
follow the Centurion^ which, in a series oT tropical gales, 
successively lost all her consorts, and was compelled to 
make for Juan Fernandez, alone, in the hope that there 
she might recover them. On her voyage thither the 
scurvy broke out on board with fearful violence, no less 
than 43 of her crew falling victims to it in one month. 
For in those days sanitary philosophy was little studied 
ashore or afloat, and the brave seamen of England were 
cooped up without remorse in badly- ventilated and ill- 
found ships which, at the present time, we should deem 
imfitting receptacles for the worst classes of our con- 
victs. 

Duiing the month of May the Centurion lost seventy 
more of her inadequate complement ; and before she 
dropped anchor off Juan Fernandez, on the 9th of June, 
there had perished, we are told, upwards of 250. It is 
easy, therefore, to understand with what delight both 
the intrepid Anson and his gallant crew gazed upon the 
green and pleasant shores of that romantic island. How 



83 AT JUAN FERltANDEZ. 

they loved to linger In its shadowy valleys, — to roam 
across its broad and open leas, — to climb its pine-crested 
bills, — and track tbe winding course of its rippling rivu- 
lets ! The men were quickly landed, and tents were 
erected in the most attractive spots, that their frames 
might be the more speedily restored by the wholesome 
influence of Nature upon the reinvigorated mind. The 
Commodore's tent was placed at the head of a grassy 
slope which stretched between overshadowing woods to 
the very margin of the sea, and commanded a noble 
prospect of the distant bay. An amphitheatre of myrtles 
reared its wondrous verdure in the background, and, 
beyond all, and against the encircling skies, towered 
the lofty and woody hills. Over the declivity flowed 
two streams of bright and wholesome water. Strange 
flowers flung their odours abroad upon the wind. 
Strange birds made the air musical with their songs. 
When reading the glowing description of this " summer 
isle of Eden," given in his Narrative of the Voyage by 
the chaplain of the Centurion, we are forcibly reminded 
of the words of Barry Cornwall : — 

"T tread amongst a thousand sweets unseen, 
Born of the flowery slopes, and woods, and meadows green. 
How fresh the daisied grass ! I hear and bless 
The tiny people in each cool recess : 
I scent the south-wind through the woodbines blowing : 
I see the rivei'-waters rippling,— flowing, — . 
Flashing along the valley to the sea."* 

Soon after Anson had placed his men ** under can- 

* Juan Fernandez was the residence for years of the solitary 
Alexander Selkirk, the original of Defoe's Eobinson Crusoe. Anson 
refers to this circumstance, and adds : — " Selkirk tells us, among 
other things, that, as he often caught more goats than he wanted, 
he sometimes marked their ears and let them go. This was about 
thirty-two years before our arrival at the island. Now it happened 
that the first goat that was killed by our people had his ears slit ; 
whence we concluded that he had doubtless been formerly under 
the power of Selkirk. He was an animal of a most venerable 
aspect, dignified with an exceeding majestic beard, and with many 
other symptoms of antiquity." 




ANSOK 

SeeTHE STORY OF THE 'CENTURION.»— Pa^e 8 



THE ILL-FATIJD *' GLOUCESTER.'* 89 

vas'* the Trial arrived, and on the 21st of June the 
Gloucester hove in sight, but was again driven off to 
windward. When, five days later, she reappeared, 
Anson despatched his boats to her assistance, laden 
with fish, fresh water, and vegetables. The rescue 
came but in time. The ill-fated vessel was a very lazar- 
ship, — a floating hospital, — having lost two-thirds of her 
crew, while those who survived were so wan and weak 
that their appearance struck terror into the hearts of 
their comrades. The boats returned to the island for 
additional supplies, but meanwhile the unfortunate 
Gloucester again drove out to sea, and when, for the 
third time, — on the 23rd of July, — she made the island, 
she bore within her loathsome walls few others but the 
dead or dying ! Out of 961 soldiers who had left 
England in the Gloucester, the Centurion, and the Trial, 
only 335 reached Juan Fernandez alive, and the mor- 
tality among the seamen was in equal proportion. 

For upwards of three months Anson lefreshed his 
men at Juan Fernandez, and again put to sea on the 
19th of September, with a Spanish prize, named the 
Monte Carmelo, captured by the Centurion a few days 
previously, and fitted out as a cruiser. A Spanish mer- 
chant-ship was shortly afterwards taken by the Trial, 
and as the latter was found unfit to contend with the 
storms of the Pacific, her crew was removed on board 
the prize, and the Trial destroyed. 

I^lidings of Anson's appearance on the coast had by 
this time spread through the neighbouring Spanish 
settlements, and from a trading- vessel captured on the 
11th of November, the Commodore learned that the 
governor of Paita, in anticipation of an unwelcome visit, 
was removing the stores and treasures of that town into 
the interior. He decided, therefore, upon seizing Paita 
by a coup de main ; and selecting a picked body of 60 
volunteers, despatched the boats at midnight to cap- 
ture a town protected by a battery and defended by 
300 soldiers. They stole softly into the bay, covered 



90 "A NIGHT MASQUERADE. 

by the deep darkness, and readied the mouth of the 
haven without discovery. Then the look-outs of a 
trading-ship lying at anchor in the stream caught sight 
of the advancing boats, and instantly leaping into their 
skiff, rowed hastily towards the fort, crying, " Los 
Ingleses ! Los Ingleses !" But English seamen have 
nervous arms, and bending to their oars with a will, 
shot into the harbour with such rapidity that they anti- 
cipated the Spaniards in their would-be defensive pre- 
parations. They leaped upon the shore, and with loud 
exultant shouts pushed forward into the centre of the 
market-place, so that the enemy, in sore affright, re- 
treated before their waving cutlasses, and yielded up 
to them both town and battery. 

' Then Jack Tar, with his wonted grim humour, begun 
to attire himself in such apparel as he could seize upon; 
— plumed sombreros and richly-embroidered jackets 
harmonizing but sadly with the loose trousers and long 
thick pigtails of the true English seaman. Many there 
were who figured in loose mantillas and waving petti- 
coats — the habiliments of some dark Southern beauty — 
so that the town of Paita, in the gray twilight of the 
early morning, seemed the scene of a grotesque and 
weird masquerade. Meanwhile, the Spaniards collected 
themselves on a gentle ascent which rose behind the 
town, and endeavoured to scare away their conquerors 
by the beat of drums and the flutter of many flags. 
Anson's men, however, v/ere made of no such quaj|ing 
stuff, and did not retire until they had loaded their 
boats with plunder, and given up the town to the 
flames. 

For some time Anson had resolved that, with his scanty 
force, an attack upon the opulent and populous city of 
Manilla would be an act of inexcusable desperation ; and 
he now determined upon cruising in the Spanish seas, in 
the hope of intercepting the great galleon, the golden 
Treasure-Ship, which yearly sailed between Manilla 
and Acapulco. Having been informed that she was 



ACAPULCO HARBOUR. Dl 

expected to leave Acapulco oxi the 3rd of Marcli 1742, 
Anson's squadron immediately beat towards that port, 
and on the 1st of the month arrived off the swelling 
heights quaintly named the " Paps of Acapulco." At 
about 15 leagues from the shore he disposed his ships 
in the form of a crescent, so that they included a sweep 
of sea of not much less than 80 miles in breadth. 

Acapulco was then a rich and prosperous town, whose 
commodious harbour rendered it the western port of 
Mexico, and the principal commercial emporium on the 
shore of the Pacific. '' It is familiar," says Captain Basil 
Hall, *' to the memory of most people, from its being the 
port whence the rich Spanish galleons of former days 
took their departure, to spread the wealth of the Western 
over the Eastern world. It is celebrated, also, in 
Anson's delightful voyage, and occupied a conspicuous 
place in the very interesting accounts of the Bucca- 
neers ; to a sailor, therefore, it is classic ground in every 
sense. I cannot express the universal professional ad- 
miration excited by a sight of this celebrated port, which 
is, moreover, the very heau-ideal of a harbour. It is 
easy of access ; very capacious ; the water not too deep ; 
the holding-ground good; quite free from hidden dan- 
gers; and as secure as the basin in Portsmouth dockyard. 
From the interior of the harbour the sea cannot be dis- 
covered ; and a stranger, coming to the spot by land, 
would imagine he was looking over a sequestered moun- 
tain-lake." The Governor of Acapulco, however, had 
obtained information of Anson's cruise, so that in vain 
every eye was bent upon Acapulco from morn to nigfft 
in the hope of first descrying '' the tall masts of the 
stately treasure-ship." She remained securely anchored 
in the harbour, until Anson's ships falling sadly in want 
of water the Commodore was forced to quit his unavail- 
ing watch, and bear away for China. Deep in his heart, 
however, he still nourished the hope of falling in with 
the galleon before she could reach Manilla. 

In a severe tempest which broke out on the 26th of 



92 THE "centurion" disappears. 

July tlie Gloucester sprang a leak, and was soon reduced 
to so complete a wreck that it became necessary to 
remove tier crew on board the Centurion, Here, the 
insufficient food and loathsome malaria reproduced the 
scurvy, and it seemed as if the plague was about ^to 
burst forth with its old violence ; but happily the ship 
shortly hove in sight of the island of Tinian, one of the 
Ladrone group, and reaching it on the 27th of August, 
began to disembark her invalids. 

An incident now occurred which, as novelists say, 
mighty have been attended with fatal consequences. It 
is thus related by the present writer in his little volume, 
The Sea-Kings of England : — " One night (22 Septem- 
ber), while the Commodore — who was himself afflicted 
with disease — was ashore, a violent storm came on. 
The Centurion, the only ship remaining of Anson's 
squadron, was driven from her moorings, and forced 
out to sea. So terrible was the gale that her signals 
of distress were not observed by those on the island, 
and great, therefore, was their consternation when the 
morning broke and no ship was to be seen ! They 
paced the shore in silent dismay. No doubt could be 
entertained but that the Centurion had foundered, and that 
they were doomed to spend their lives on a solitary 
island, never again to revisit their homes, or greet the 
*old, familiar faces.' In this hour of trial, Anson's 
calmness of mind and nobility of heart were splendidly 
conspicuous, and he evinced that resolute temper which 
had alone borne up his men under the successive dis- 
asters they had experienced. He reasoned away their 
fears, and encouraged them to hopeful exertion. He 
directed the construction of a vessel which should be 
stout enough to bear them to China. For this purpose, 
a Spanish bark which had been captured, and had 
escaped the storm from its proximity to the shore, was 
hauled up on land, and sawn asunder that she might be 
suitably lengthened. The carpenters of the ship were 
among those left on the island, and as they had their 



'' THE SHIP ! THE SHIP !" 93 

tools with them, all hands set to work with sailor-like 
heai-tiness and considerable success. 

" But it happened that on the morning of the 11th of 
October, one of the men had ascended a hill, and 
looking out upon the sparkling sea, discovered the 
Centurion in the offing. He was not long in rejoining 
his comrades, exclaiming, almost breathless with joy, 
' The ship ! The ship !' The commodore was at work 
upon the Spanish boat, but hearing the gladsome news, 
flung down his axe, and gave expression to feelings 
which his followers had little thought he entert^ned. 
The Centurion came to anchor in the evening, and on 
the 21st of October, bore away from Tinian for Macao, 
on the coast of China." 

China was then to Europeans a mysterious Terra 
Incognita, — a vast territory of cloud and shadow into 
which even Saxon enterprise had been unable to pene- 
trate. The only European settlement was that which 
the Portuguese had been permitted to establish at 
Macao, in 1556, as a reward for the services they had 
rendered in sweeping the pirates and Malayan sea- 
rovers from the neighbouring coasts. This colony occu- 
pied the southern peninsula of the small island of JMacao, 
at the mouth of the great estuary of the Canton river, — a 
breezy healthy acclivity/ now dotted with white villas 
and large "factories." Here lies the dust of Camoens, 
the unfortunate poet of Tlie Lusiad. 

At twilight, on the 5th of November 1742, the Centu- 
rion swiftly rode into the Canton river ; and an English 
man-of-war was then so unusual a sight in the busy 
waters where the Union Jack now waves all proudly 
and defiantly, that in the course of a few hours nearly 
5,000 fishing-boats had gathered round her. Macao 
was reached on the 12th, and here Anson, who had 
determined upon making one more efi'ort to capture the 
Acapulco treasure-ship, remained until the 1 9th of April 
1743, occupying that long interval in replenishing his 
stores of provisions, and recruiting the strength of his 



94 ^ A PRUDENT COOK* 

crew. Nor was he himself less in want of repose than 
his men, — his energies having been sorely shattered by 
the many disasters of his singular expedition. The 
Centurion, too, stood in great need of repair, and busy 
were the hammer and chisel of the carpenter during her 
jstay in the waters of Macao. 

When the Commodore was fairly out at sea, with a 
fresh breeze filling his sails, he called his men together 
on the quarter-deck, and announced to them his resolu- 
tion to make another attempt upon the Spanish galleon. 
As hg held out glowing prospects both of " a brush 
with The Dons " and an ample amount of doubloons and 
moidores as prize-money, his men greeted their com- 
mander with enthusiastic cheers, and immediately, with 
the natural confidence of British seamen, began to 
regard the rich treasure- ship as already their own. So 
assured were they of victory in the coming struggle 
that when, one day, the Commodore, knowing his 
supply was not exhausted, inquired why no mutton had 
recently appeared on his table, the cook replied, — 
" Certainly, your honour, there are still two sheep left 
in the galley, but I thought your honour would wish 
them kept for the dinners of the Spaniard captain, 
whom your honour is going to take prisoner !" 

The Centurion reached the waters of the Philippine 
Islands on the last day of May, and cruised oif Cape 
Espiritu Santo without success for nearly three weeks. 
But early on the morning of the 20th of June, the look- 
out man descried her tall masts in the offing, and im- 
mediately, crowding on every stitch of canvas she 
could carry, the Centurion bore down upon her long- 
expected foe. Nor did the stately Spaniard seem 
anxious to decline the contest. Probably aware that 
Anson had scarce 200 men and 30 boys on board, she 
hoisted the standard of Spain at her main-top-gallant- 
masthead, and lay to in haughty defiance of the English 
man-of-war. About one o'clock the battle commenced, 
Anson laying his ship across the bows of the galleon, 



CAPTURE OF THE TREASURE-SHIP. 95 

and sweeping her decks witli a destrnctive and in- 
cessant fire, which proved the proficiency in gunnery 
his crew had acquired through constant exercise. The 
Spaniards defended themselves gallantly, but were no 
match for the resolute valour of the English. After a 
two hours' hotly contested engagement, they struck 
their colours, having lost 67 men killed and 84 wounded, 
while Anson had "but 2 men killed, and 17 wounded, 
all of whom, with one exception, recovered. .With so 
slight a loss was effected the capture of a vessel of 
44 guns and 500 men, carrying a cargo valued at 
313,000?. — one of the most costly prizes which ever 
surrendered to an English ship ! 

Just in the moment of victory, however, arose a peril 
which threatened the loss of everything. One of his 
officers approached Anson, and whispered to him the 
appalling intelligence that the ship was on fire. 
During the engagement some cartridges had accident- 
ally exploded, and ignited a quantity of oakum lying 
near the magazine. • As the galleon had fallen aboard 
the CenturtGn, the destruction of both vessels seemed 
ineivitable ; but Anson did not lose his presence of 
mind, calmly gave the necessary orders, maintained by 
his own coolness the coolness of his men, and had the 
satisfaction of seeing the fire extinguished without 
any material damage. 

Both the Centurion and her valuable prize now re- 
turned to Macao, and having refitted and taken on 
board a supply of provisions, sailed for England, on the 
15th of December. The homeward voyage was as 
prosperous as the outward had been disastrous ; and 
Anson and his treasure-ship actually sailed, in the thick 
of a dense fog, through the hostile French fleet, then 
cruising in the chops of the Channel. On the 15th of 
June 1744, the Centurion safely cast anchor at Spithead, 
after a voyage round the world of nearly four years' 
duration ; a voyage almost unexampled for the variety 
and wonderful character of its incidents. 



96 A NEW SHIP WITH AN OLD NAME. 

It is almost unnecessary to add that tlie Centurion was 
no longer fit for service. Her timbers were rotten ; her 
masts and spars disabled ; her rigging and canvas worn 
and tattered ; and the weather-beaten ship, racked by 
the storms of many a sea, little resembled the gallant 
men-of-war which lay at Spithead in readiness for the 
*' shock of battle." She was, therefore, sent into dock, 
and in time received a thorough repair, — becoming, in 
fact, a new ship with an old name. Commissioned by 
Captain Denis, she shared in Vice-Admiral Anson's 
action with the French fleet, off Cape Pinisterre, May 3, 
1747, and bore herself right gallantly, contributing in 
no slight degree to the enemy's defeat. The French, on 
this occasion, though superior in force, lost six men-of- 
war (a 74, a QQ^ a 56, two 62's, and a 44-gun ship). 
Anson received a peerage for this eminent service. 



97 



CHAPTER Vn. 

THE STORY OF A MUTINY. 

The *' Bounty" 

[Period of Service : Reign of George III. 1787-9. 
Strength : 215 tons, 43 men.] 

*' The boat is lowered with all the haste of hate. 
With its slight plank between thee and thy fate ; 
Her only cargo such a scant supply 
As promises the death their hands deny ; 
And just enough of water and of bread 
To keep, some days, the dying from the dead . . , 

The launch is crowded with the faithful few 
That wait their chief — a melancholy crew : 
But some remained reluctant on the deck 
Of that proud vessel, now a moral wreck — 
And viewed their captain's fate with piteous eyes ; 
While others scoff'd his augur'd miseries, 
Sneer'd at the prospect of his pigmy sail, 
And the slight bark, so laden and so frail." — Byron, 

Dampiee, the braye old navigator, who saw so much 
and told in such manly language of wliat he saw, thus 
describes the famous Bread-Fruit plant : — " The bread- 
fruit, as we call it," he says, *' grows on a large tree, 
as big and high as our largest apple-trees ; it hath a 
spreading head, full of branches and dark leaves. The 
fruit grows on the boughs like apples : it is as big as a 
penny-loaf, when wheat is at five shillings the bushel ; 
it is of a round shape, and hath a thick, tough rind ; 
when the fruit is ripe, it is yellow and soft, and the 
taste is sweet and pleasant. The natives of Guam use 
it for bread. They gather it, when full-grown, while it 
is green and hard ; then they bake it in an oven, which 
scorcheth the rind and makes it black ; but they scrape 
off the outside black crust, and there remains a tender, 

G 



98 THE BREAD-TREES. 

tliin. crust ; and the inside is soft, tender, and white, 
like the crumb of a penny loaf. There is neither seed 
nor stone in the inside, but all is of a pure substance 
like bread. It must be eaten new; for if it is kept 
above 24 hours, it grows harsh and choaky, but is very 
pleasant before it is too stale. This fruit lasts in season 
eight months in the year, during which the natives eat 
no other sort of food of bread kind. I did never see of 
this fruit anywhere but here (the island of Tahiti, or 
Otaheite). The natives told us that there is plenty of 
this fruit growing on the rest of the Ladrone Islands ; 
and I did never hear of it anywhere else." 

In the year 1787, the West India merchants resident 
in London represented to the Government the advan- 
tages to be derived from the introduction of so useful a 
plcfcnt into the West India islands, and it was ac- 
cordingly determined that an expedition foi' this 
purpose should be fitted out. Its organisation was 
intrusted to Sir Joseph Banks, who was himself ac- 
quainted with Tahiti and the invaluable properties of 
the bread fruit, and every care was taken to insure 
complete success. A vessel was purchased by Govern- 
ment at Deptford, and enrolled in the Eoyal Navy by 
Ihe significant name of the Bounty. Her burthen was 
215 tons, and from her build and draught she was 
peculiarly adapted for an exploring voyage. Lieutenant 
William Bligh, one of Captain Cook's companions in his 
famous circumnavigations, was appointed to the com- 
mand, and a complement of one master, three warrant- 
officers, one surgeon, two master's mates, two midship- 
men, and thirty-four petty officers and seamen was 
allotted to her. Two persons were also appointed to 
take charge of the plants that might be collected, — 

" The bread-tree which, without the ploughshare, yields 
The unreap'd harvest of unfurrow'd fields, 
And bakes its unadulterated loaves 
Without a fiunace in unpurchas'd groves," — ■ 

and all those comforts and necessaries were abundantly 



AN OMINOUS BEGINNING. 99 

supplied whicli could tend to secure the health and 
happiness of the crew and commander of the good ship 
Bounty. 

She sailed from Spithead on the 23rd of December 
1787. As if ominous of her future fortunes she met, on 
the 26th, with a terrible storm which endured until the 
29th, and inflicted considerable damage; so that Lieu- 
tenant Bligh judged it prudent to put into Teneriffe to 
refit and obtain additional stores. The rock-isle of 
Teneriffe was reached on the 5th and quitted on the 
10th of January 1788. And now the commander 
-organised his little crew into three watches, of which 
the third was given in charge to an officer, who will 
play a prominent part in our narrative, — Fletcher 
Christian, one of the master's mates. *' I have always 
considered this," writes Bligh, *' a desirable regulation 
when circumstances will admit of it; and I am per- 
suaded that unbroken rest not only contributes much 
towards the health of the ship's company, but enables 
them more readily • to exert themselves in cases of 
sudden emergency." 

Towards the close of March the Bounty was off Cape 
Horn, tossing to and fro in a tempestuous sea, baffled 
by contrary winds, and pursued by storms of hail and 
sleet. For nine days she braved this weather, and then 
her commander despairing of effecting, at so unfavour- 
able a season of the year, the passage of the Horn, 
bore away for the Cape of Good Hope, *' to the great 
joy of every person on board." The Cape was reached 
on the '23rd of May; and there the weary mariners 
remained for eight and thirty days, refitting the ship, 
and taking on board a fresh supply of provisions. They 
sailed again on the 1st of July, and anchored in Adven- 
ture Bay, Van Diemen's Land, for wood and water, on 
the 20th of August. On the evening of the 25tli of 
October they came in sight of the green hills, the 
prolific meadows, and wooded shores of beautiful 
Tahiti — the queen-island of the Polynesian seas — 
I r r G 2 



100 THE sailor's paradise, 

" Where all partake the earth without dispute, 
And bread itself is gather'd as a fruit ; 
Wliere none contest the fields, the woods, the streams. 
The goldless age, where gold disturbs no dreams, 
Inhabits or inhabited the shore, 
Till Europe taught them better than before, 
Bestow'd her customs, and amended theirs. 
But left her vices also to their heirs." — Byron, 

On the following day the Bounty glided into the secure 
anchorage of Matavai Bay, having sailed over 27,086 
miles, at an average progress of 108 miles daily. 

Tahiti was then the Sailor's Paradise ; the Fortunate 
Isle in whose abundant pleasures he compensated 
himself for the toil and weariness of his long sea- 
wanderings. Its inhabitants were hospitable, generous, 
and warm-hearted. Its groves were shadowy ; its hills 
were pleasant ; the climate, tempered by cool ocean- 
winds, was genial and healthy. Cocoa-nuts, and 
^ shaddocks, plantains and bread-trees, were among the 
natural luxuries the island profusely afforded. Ko 
marvel that to the English sailor Tahiti seemed a 
joyous Eden, a delightful isle of bowers and gardens, 
where all the women were beautiful, and all the men 
frank, hospitable, and true. 

The new-comers were received by the Tahitians with 
their wonted courtesy. " As soon as the ship was 
secured," we are told, ** Lieutenant Bligh went on 
shore with the chief, Poeeno, passing through a walk 
delightfully shaded with bread-fruit trees, to his ot\ti 
house, where his wife and her sister were busily em- 
ployed staining a piece of cloth red. They desired him 
to sit down on a mat, and with great kindness offered 
him refreshments." He was then introduced to several 
strangers, who all behaved with that decorous gravity 
and natural politeness so often the characteristics of the 
so-called savage. When the lieutenant bade them 
adieu, the ladies rose from their seats, and taking some 
of their finest cloth and a mat, attired the lieutenant 
in true Tahitian style, and accompanied him to the 



TAHITI AND THE TAHITIANS. 101 

water-side. On another occasion, having exposed 
himself too much in the snn, *Vl was taken ill," says 
Bligh, *' on which all the powerful people, both men 
and women, collected round us, offering their assistance. 
For this short illness I was made ample amends by the 
pleasure I received from the attention and appearance 
of affection in these kind people." 

Equally hospitable was the reception accorded to 
Bligh's officers and crew. In the course of two or three 
days, there was scarcely a man in the ship who had not 
secured his tayo, or friend, and who did not live in the 
undisturbed enjoyment of the luxuries of ^^ease, indo- 
lence, and female companionship. Every house was 
free to the footsteps of every Englishman ; and it would 
seem that the Tahitians must have conspired to render 
the residence of Bligh and his companions in their 
beautiful island an uninterrupted holiday. 

The lieutenant, in his published Journal, gives a 
glowing description both of Tahiti and the Tahitians. 
The former he speaks of as a perfect Arcadia, — 

" A summer-isle of Eden lying in dark purple spheres of sea," — ■ 

and luxuriates in its hills and groves, its clear 
fresh streams, its bowery hollows, its plantations of 
bread-fruit and cocoa-trees. The inhabitants he libe- 
rally endows with almost every virtue: "There is," 
he says, '' a candour and sincerity about them quite 
delightful." Their manners were easy without being 
familiar, and dignified without being formal. Some 
of them, indeed, were giA^en to petty thefts, chiefly of 
ironwork and buttons, but the majority were as honest 
as they were hospitable, and as frank as they were gene- 
rous. Their life would seem to have been a round of 
innocent amusements. The children indulged in flying 
kites, in swinging in ropes suspended from the boughs 
of trees, in walking on stilts, in wrestling, and playing 
** all manner of antic tricks, such as are common to boj^s 
in England." The girls — as is usual with girls — chiefly 



102 TAHITIAN PLANTS. 

affected their dances, or heivahs. '* On an evening, just 
before sunset, the whole beach abreast the ship is de- 
scribed as being like a parade, crowded with men, 
women, and children, who go on with their sports and 
amusements until nearly dark, when every one peace- 
ably returns to his home. At such times, we are told, 
from 300 to 400 people are assembled together, and all 
happily diverted, good-humoured, and affectionate to 
one another, without a single quarrel having ever 
happened to disturb the harmony that existed among 
these amiable people. Both boys and girls are said to 
be handsome and very sprightly." 

This semi-Elysian life could not, however, be pro- 
longed beyond certain limits. The Bounty had arrived 
at Otaheite on the 26th of October 1788. Her de- 
parture was fixed for the 4th of April 1789. In these 
intervening weeks Lieutenant Bligh had collected a 
vast number of healthy and vigorous bread- trees, which 
were placed in 724 pots, 39 tubs, and 24 boxes. " The 
number of bread-fruit plants was one thousand and fif- 
teen; besides which, we had collected a" number of 
other plants : the avee, which is one of the finest- 
flavoured fruits in the world ; the ayyali, which is a 
fruit not so rich, but of a fine flavour and very refresh- 
ing ; the rattali, not much unlike a chestnut, which 
grows on a large tree in great quantities ; they are found 
singly in large pods, from one to two inches broad, 
and may be eaten raw, or boiled in the same manner 
as Windsor beans, and so dressed are equally good; 
the orai-ab, which is a very superior kind of plantain. 
All these I was particularly recommended to collect, by 
my worthy friend Sir Joseph Banks." 

After winding among various islets of this island- 
crowded sea, the Bounty anchored at Anamooka on the 
23rd of April. Here Bligh landed to procure some 
bread-fruit plants in the place of those that were dead 
or dying, and made various purchases of yams, and 
fowls, and dogs, and shaddocks. Then the Bounty 



OUTBREAK OF THE MUTINY, 103 

turned her prow towards the north, favoured by light 
winds and a smooth sea. On the morning of the 28th of 
April she sailed past Tofoa, the north-westernmost of 
the Friendly Islands, — the ship '*in perfect order," the 
crew and officers in excellent health, the plants " in a 
most flourishing condition," and everything apparently 
promising a happy conclusion to a fortunate voyage. 
The great obstacle, however, to such a consummation, 
was Lieutenant Bligh himself, whose notions of dis- 
cipline were rigid, and his capacities for command few, 
while his temper was harsh and his manner overbear- 
ing. At an unexpected moment, these faults produced 
an unexpected catastrophe, distinguished in the mari- 
time history of England as The Mutiny of the Bounty. 

The particulars of this curious outbreak may first be 
given in Lieutenant Bligh's o^svn words. The correc- 
tions we shall derive from the narratives of other actors 
in, or witnesses of, the deplorable drama. 

''In the morning of the 28th April," says Bligh, "I 
made the north-westernmost of the Friendly Islands, 
called Tofoa, bearing north-east, and was steering to 
the westward with a ship in most perfect order, all my 
plants in a most flourishing condition, all my men and 
officers in good health; and, in short, everything to 
flatter and ensure my most sanguine expectations. On 
leaving the deck I gave directions for the ^course to bo 
steered during the night. The master had the first 
watch ; the gunner, the middle watch ; and Mr. Chris- 
tian, the morning watch. This was the turn of duty for 
the night. 

" Just before sun-rising on Tuesday the 28th, while 
I was yet asleep, Mr. Christian, officer of the watch, 
Charles Churchill, ship's corporal, John Mills, gunner's 
mate, and Thomas Burkitt, seaman, came into my cabin, 
and, seizing me, tied my hands v/ith a cord behind my 
back, threatening me with instant death if I spoke or 
made the least noise. I called, however, as loud as I 
could, in hopes of assistance; but they had already 



104 PROGRESS OF THE MUTINY. 

secured the officers, who were not of their party, by- 
placing sentinels at their doors. There were three 
men at my cabin-door, besides the four within ; Chris- 
tian had only a cutlass in his hand, the others had 
muskets and bayonets. I was hauled out of bed, and 
forced on deck in my shirt, suffering great pain from 
the tightness with which they had tied my hands be- 
hind my back, held by Fletcher Christian, and Charles 
Churchill, with a bayonet at my breast, and two men, 
Alexander Smith and Thomas Burkitt, behind me, with 
loaded muskets cocked, and bayonets fixed. I demanded 
the reason of such violence, but received no other 
answer than abuse [for not holding my tongue. The 
master, the gunner, Mr. Elphinstone, the master's mate, 
and Nelson, were kept confined below; and the fore- 
hatchway was guarded by sentinels. The boatswain 
and carpenter, and also Mr. Samuel, the clerk, were 
allowed to come upon deck, where they saw me stand- 
ing abaft the mizen-mast, with my^hands tied behind my 
back, under a guard, with Christian at their head. The 
boatswain was ordered to hoist the launch out, with a 
threat, if he did not do it instantly, to take care of him- 
self. 

'* When the boat was out, Mr. Hay ward and Mr. 
Hallet, two of the midshipmen, and Mr. Samuel, were 
ordered into it. I demanded what their intention was 
in giving this order, and endeavoured to persuade the 
people near me not to persist in such acts of violence ; 
but it was to no effect — * Hold your tongue, sir, or you 
are dead this instant,' was constantly repeated to me. 

'' The master by this time had sent to request that he 
might come on deck, which was permitted ; but he was 
goon ordered back again to his cabin. AVhen I exerted 
myself in speaking loud, to try if I could rally any with 
a sense of duty in them, I was saluted with oaths, and 
an order to * blow his brains out ;' while Christian was 
threatening me with instant death, if I did not hold 
my tongue. ^ ^ 



PKOGHESS OF THE MUTINY. 105 

*' 1 continued my endeavours to turn the tide of 
afifairs, wtien Christian changed the cutlass which he 
had in his hand, for a bayonet that was brought to 
him, and, holding me with a strong gripe by the cord 
that tied my hands, he threatened, with many oaths, to 
kill me immediately, if I would not be quiet; the 
villains round me had their pieces cocked, and bayonets 
fixed. Particular persons were called on to go into the 
boat, and were hurried over the side ; whence I con- 
cluded that with these people I was to be set adrift. I 
therefore made another effort to bring about a change, 
but with no other effect than to be threatened with 
having my brains blown out. 

" The boatswain and seamen who were to go in the 
boat, were allowed to collect twine, canvas, lines, sails, 
cordage, an eight-and-twenty gallon cask of water ; and 
Mr. Samuel got 150 lbs. of bread, with a small quantity 
of rum and wine, also a quadrant and compass; but 
w^as forbidden, on pain of death, to touch either map, 
ephemeris, book of astronomical observations, sextant, 
time-keeper, or any of my surveys or drawings. 

*' The mutineers having forced those of the seamen 
whom they meant to get rid of into the boat, Christian 
directed a dram to be served to each of his own crew. 
I then unhappily saw that nothing could be done to 
effect the recovery of the ship ; there was no one to 
assist me, and every endeavour on my part was answered 
with threats of death. 

^' The officers were next called upon deck, and forced 
over the side into the boat, while 1 was kept apart from 
every one, abaft the mizen-mast ; Christian, armed with 
a bayonet, holding me by the baggage that secured my 
hands. The guard round me had their pieces cocked ; 
but on my daring the ungrateful creatures to fire, they 
uncocked them. 

'* Isaac Martin, one of the guard over me, I saw had 
an inclination to assist me, and, as he fed me with shad- 
dock, (my lips being quite parched,) we explained our 



106 BLIGH IN THE OPEN BOAT. 

wishes to each other by our looks ; but this being ob- 
served, Martin was removed from me. He then at- 
tempted to leave the ship, for which pnrpose he got 
into the boat ; but with many threats they obliged him 
to return, 

" The armourer, Joseph Coleman, and two of the 
carpenters, M'Intosh and Norman, were also kept con- 
trary to their inclination ; and they begged of me, after 
I was astern in the boat, to remember that they de- 
clared they had no hand in the transaction. Michael 
Byrne, I am told, likewise wanted to leave the ship. 

'' It is of no moment for me to recount my endeavours 
to bring back the offenders to a sense of their duty; 
all I could do was by speaking to them in general ; but 
it was to no purpose, for I was kept securely bound, 
and no one except the guard suffered to come near me. 

*' To Mr. Samuel (clerk) I am indebted for securing 
my journals and commission, with some material ship 
papers. Without these I had nothing to certify what I 
had done, and my honour and character might have 
been suspected, without my possessing a proper docu- 
ment to have defended them. All this he did with 
great resolution, though guarded and strictly watched. 
He attempted to save the time-keeper, and a box with 
my surve3^S5 drawings, and remarks, for 15 years past, 
which were numerous ; when he was hurried away 
with an oath, and the exclamation, ' You are well off 
to get what you have.' 

'' It appeared to me that Christian was some time in 
doubt whether he should keep the carpenter or his 
mates : at length he determined on the latter, and the 
carpenter was ordered into the boat.. He was per- 
mitted, but not without some opposition, to take his 
tool-chest. 

*' Much altercation took place among the mutinous 
crew during the whole business : some swore, and said, 
' he will find his way home, if he gets anything with 
him;' and when the carpenter's chest was cariying 



bligh's followers. 107 

away, ' Tlie fellow will have a vessel built in a month ;' 
while others laughed at the helpless situation of the 
boat, being very deep, and so little room for those who 
were in her. As for Christian, he seemed as if medi- 
tating destruction on himself and every one else. 

" I asked for arms ; but they laughed at me, and said 
I was well acquainted with the people among whom I 
was going, and therefore did not want them ; four 
cutlasses, however, were thrown into the boat, after we 
were veered astern. 

'* The officers and men being in the boat, they only 
waited for me, of which the master- at-aims informed 
Christian; who then said, — 'Come, Captain Bligh, 
your officers and men are now in the boat and you 
must go with them ; if you attempt to make the least 
resistance, you will instantly be put to death;' and, 
without further ceremony, with a tribe of armed ruffians 
about me, I was forced over the side, when they untied 
my hands. Being in the boat, we were veered astern 
by a rope. A few pieces of pork were thrown to us, 
and some clothes, also the cutlasses I have already 
mentioned ; and it was then that the armourer and 
carpenters called out to me to remember that they had 
no hand in the transaction. After having undergone a 
great deal of ridicule, and been kept for some time to 
make sport for these unfeeling wretches, we were at 
length cast adrift in the open ocean. 

'' I had with me in the boat 18 persons, and there 
remained in the Bounty 25 seamen, who were the most 
able of the ship's company. 

" Christian, the chief of the mutineers, is of a re- 
spectable family in the north of England. This was 
the third voyage he had made with me ; and as I found 
it necessary to keep my ship's company at three 
watches, I had given him an order to take charge of the 
third, his abilities being thoroughly equal to the task, 
and by this means the master and gunner were not at 
watoh and watch. 



108 CHARACTERS OF TitE LEADERS. 

*• Heywood [midsliipman] is also of a respectable 
family in the north of England, and a young man of 
abilities as well as Christian. These two had been 
objects of my particular regard and attention, and I 
had taken great pains to instruct them, having en- 
tertained hopes that, as professional men, they would 
have become a credit to their country. 

" Young [midshipman] was well recommended, and 
had the look of an able, stout seaman ; he, however, 
fell^hort of what his appearance promised. Stewart 
[midshipman] was a young man of creditable parents 
in the Orkneys ; at which place, on the return of the 
Resolution from the South Seas, in 1780, we received so 
many civilities, that, on that account only, I should 
gladly have taken him with me ; but, independent of 
this recommendation, he was a seaman, and had always 
borne a good character. 

" Notwithstanding the roughness with which I was 
treated, the remembrance of past kindnesses produced 
some signs of remorse in Christian. When they were 
forcing me out of the ship, I asked him if this treatment 
was a proper return for the many instances he had 
received of my friendship? He appeared disturbed at 
my question, and answered, with much emotion, ' That, 
Captain Bligh, that is the thing; — I am in hell, — I am 
in hell!' 

*' As soon as I had time to reflect, I felt an inward 
satisfaction which prevented any depression of my 
spirits : conscious of my integrity and anxious solicitude 
for the good of the service in which I had been engaged, 
I found my mind wonderfully supported, and I began 
to conceive hopes, notwithstanding so heavy a calamity, 
that I should one day be able to account to my king 
and country for the misfortune. A few hours before, 
my situation had been peculiarly flattering. I had a 
ship in the most perfect order, and well stored with 
every necessary both for service and health ; by early 
attention to those particulars, I had, as much as lay in 



CAUSES OF THE MUTINY. 109 

my power, provided against any accident in case I could 
not get througli Endeavour Straits, as well as against 
what might befall me in them ; add to this, the plants 
had been successfully preserved in the most flourishing 
state : so that, upon the whole, the voyage was two- 
thirds completed, and the remaining part, to all ap- 
pearance, in a very promising way ; every person on 
board being in perfect health, to establish which was 
ever amongst the principal objects of my attention. 

" It will very naturally be asked, What could be the 
reason for such a revolt ? In answer to which I can 
only conjecture, that the mutineers had flattered them- 
selves with the hopes of a more happy life among the 
Otaheitans than they could possibly enjoy in England ; 
and this, joined to some female connexions, most pro- 
bably occasioned the whole transaction. The ship, 
indeed, while within our sight, steered to the W.N.W., 
but I considered this only as a feint ; for when we were 
sent away, ' Huzza for Otaheite !' was frequently heard 
among the mutineers. 

*' The women of Otaheite are handsome, mild and 
cheerful in their manners and conversation, possessed 
of great sensibility, and have sufficient delicacy to make 
them admired and beloved. The chiefs were so much 
attached to our people, that they rather encouraged 
their stay among them than otherwise, and even made 
them promises of large possessions. Under these and 
many other attendant circumstances, equally desirable, 
it is now, perhaps not so much to be wondered at, 
though scarcely possible to have been foreseen, that a 
set of sailors, most of them void of connexions, should be 
led away ; especially when, in addition to such powerful 
inducements, they imagined it in their power to fix 
themselves in the midst of plenty, on one of the finest 
islands in the world, where they need not labour, and 
where the allurements of dissipation are beyond any- 
thing that can be conceived. The utmost, however, 
that any commander could have supposed to have hap- 



110 SECRECY OF THE MUTINEERS. 

pened is, that some of the people would have been 
tempted to desert. But if it should be asserted that a 
commander is to guard against an act of mutiny and 
piracy in his own ship, more than by the common rules 
of service, it is as much as to say that he must sleep 
locked up, and, when awake, be girded with pistols. 

*' Desertions have happened, more or less, from most 
of the ships that have been at the Society Islands ; but 
it has always been in the commander's power to make 
the chiefs return their people : the knowledge, there- 
fore, that it Y/as unsafe to desert, perhaps led mine to 
consider with what ease so sma^ll a ship might be 
surprised, and that so favourable an opportunity would 
never offer to them again. 

" The secrecy of this mutiny is beyond all conception. 
Thirteen of the party, who were with me, had always 
lived forward among the seamen ; yet neither they, nor 
the messmates of Christian, Stewart, Heywood, and 
Young, had ever observed any circumstance that made 
them in the least suspect what was going on. To such 
a close-planned act of villany, my mind being entirely 
free from any suspicion, it is not wonderful that I fell 
a sacrifice. Perhaps if there had been marines on 
board, a sentinel at my cabin door might have pre- 
vented it; for I. slept with the door always open, that 
the officer of the watch might have access to me on all 
occasions, the possibility of such a conspiracy being 
ever the farthest from my thoughts. Had their mutiny 
been occasioned by any grievances, either real or ima- 
ginary, I must have discovered symptoms^^ of their 
discontent, which would have put me on my guard ; 
but the case was far otherwise. Christian, in particular, 
I was on the most friendly terms with : that very day 
he was engaged to have dined with me ; and the pre- 
ceding night he excused himself from supping with me, 
on pretence of being unwell ; for which I felt concerned, 
having no suspicion of his integrity and honour.'* 

We have thus given in extenso the published Narrative 



A RIGID DISCIPLINARUN. Ill 

by which Lieutenant Bligh endeavoured to account for 
this remarkable mutiny. A comparison of it with 
statements from other sources will show that he was not 
altogether justified in the conclusions he formed, or the 
assertions he hazarded. 

He endeavours to represent the mutiny as the deli- 
berate result of a long-meditated design; but, on the 
contrary, it arose from the sudden impulse of a wounded 
and excited spirit. Lieutenant Bligh was an excellent 
seaman and a rigid disciplinarian, but he was neither a 
good officer nor a courteous gentleman. Indeed, it 
would appear, that at a very early period of the voyage, 
a feeling of discontent was aroused in the minds of his 
crew and officers. He stinted them in their provisions, 
and (as he was purser as well as commander) too often 
supplied those provisions of a very inferior quality. 
Thus, on one occasion, when the men were unwilling to 
make their repast upon some decayed pumpkins which 
he had purchased at Teneriffe, he went upon deck, in 
an excess of rage,, turned the hands up, and ordered 
the first man in each mess to be called by name, ex- 
claiming, — " ril see who will dare to refuse the pump- 
kin, or anything else I may order to be served out," 
adding, " You scoundrels, I'll make you eat grass, or 
anything you can catch, before I have done with you." 
To Fletcher Christian, a young man of considerable 
talent and impetuous disposition, he appears to have 
behaved with special harshness. On the 23rd April 1789 
the good ship Bounty anchored off Annamooka, and 
water and wood being required, a party was sent on 
shore, under the command of Mr. Christian, to procure 
a supply. The inhabitants proved very troublesome, 
and threatened the watering party with their clubs and 
spears. " As it was Lieutenant Bligh's orders that no 
person should affront them on any occasion, they were 
emboldened by meeting with no check to their insolence. 
They at length became so troublesome that Mr. Chris- 
tian found it difficult to carry on his duty; but on 



112 BLTGH AND FLETCHER CHPJSTIAN. 

acquainting Lieutenant Bligh with, their behaviour, he 
received a volley of abuse, was censured as a cowardly 
rascal, and asked if he were afraid of naked savages 
whilst he had weapons in his hand ? To this he replied 
in a respectful manner, ' The arms are of no effect, sir, 
while your orders prohibit their use.' " 

The Mutiny itself seems to have arisen from the 
following incident which significantly illustrates Bligh's 
fury of temper and coarseness of manner. We give it 
in the words of an eye-witness : '* In the afternoon of 
■ffiLe 27th, Lieutenant Bligh came upon deck, and missing 
some of the cocoa-nuts, which had been piled up 
between the guns, said they had been stolen, and could 
not have been taken away without the knowledge of 
the officers, all of whom were sent for and questioned 
on the subject. On their declaring that they had not 
seen any of the people touch them, he exclaimed, ' Then 
you must have taken them yourselves ;' and proceeded 
to inquire of them separately, how many they had 
purchased. On coming to Mr. Christian, that gentleman 
answered, * I do not know, sir, but I hope you do not 
think me so mean as to be guilty of stealing yours.' 
Mr. Bligh replied, * Yes, I do ; — you must have stolen 
them from me, or you would be able to give a better 
account of them ;' then turning to the other officers, 
he said, * You are all thieves alike, and combine with 
the men to rob me : I suppose you will steal my yams 
next ; but I'll sweat you for it, you rascals ; — I'll make 
half of you jump overboard before you get through 
Endeavour Straits.' This threat was followed by an 
order to the clerk * to stop the villains' grog, and give 
them but half a pound of yams to-morrow; if they 
steal them, I'll reduce them to a quarter.' " One may 
easily understand, when a commander insults his officers 
mth such gross insinuations and violent language, the 
meaning of Christian's reply to Lieutenant Bligh, — 
*' That, that is the thing — I am in hell, I have been 
in hell for a fortnight." 



christian's sufferings. , 113 

The authority we have just quoted — Morrison, the 
boatswain's mate — also informs us that when Bligh was 
convinced he must really go into the boat, he im- 
plored Christian to relent, saying, *' I'll pawn my 
honour, I'll give my bond, Mr. Christian, never to think 
of this, if you'll desist," and spoke of the misery which 
might result to his wife and children. Christian re- 
plied, *' No, Captain Bligh, if you had any honour, 
things had not come to this ; and if you had any regard 
for your wife and family, you should have thought on 
them before, and not behaved so much like a villain." 
The boatswain also made an effort to promote an 
amicable arrangement, but Christian replied, "It is too 
late ; I have been in hell for this fortnight past, and 
am determined to bear it no longer; and you know, 
Mr. Cole, that I have been used like a dog all the 
voyage." 

With one more extract from Morrison's account of 
these transactions we may conclude our account of the 
Mutiny. From that account, which is amply confirmed 
by other evidence, it wdll appear that Christian's design 
was as suddenly conceived as it was boldly carried out, 
and that, at least, his crime if a great one was not pre- 
meditated. Morrison affirms that Christian himself 
gave the following narrative of the transactions in which 
he played so unhappy a part : — *' Finding himself much 
hurt by the treatment he had received from Lieutenant 
Bligh, he had determined to quit the ship the preceding 
evening, and had informed the boatswain, carpenter, 
and two midshipmen (Stewart and Hayward) of his 
intention to do so ; that by them he was supplied with 
part of a roasted pig, some nails, beads, and other 
articles of trade, which he put into a bag that was given 
him by the last-named gentleman ; that he put this 
bag into the clue of Eobert Tinkler's hammock, where it 
was discovered by that young gentleman when going 
to bed at night; but the business was smothered, and 
passed off without any further notice. He said he had 

H 



114 Morrison's narrative. 

fastened some staves to a stout plank, with, whicli lie 
intended to make his escape ; but finding he could not 
effect it during the first and second watches, as the ship 
had no way through the water, and the people were all 
moving about, he laid down to rest about half-past 
three in the morning; that when Mr. Stewart called 
him to relieve the deck at four o'clock he had just 
fallen asleep, and was much out of order; upon ob- 
serving which, Mr. Stewart strenuously advised him to 
abandon his intention; that as soon as he had taken 
charge of the deck, he saw Mr. Hayward, the mate of 
his watch, lie down on the arm-chest to take a nap ; 
and finding thg^t Mr. Hallet, the other midshipman, did 
not make his appearance, he suddenly formed the reso- 
lution of seizing the ship. Disclosing his intention to 
Matthew Quintal and Isaac Martin, both of whom had 
been flogged by Lieutenant Bligh, they called up 
Charles Churchill, who had also tasted the cat, and 
Matthew Thompson, both of whom readily joined in 
the plot. That Alexander Smith (alias John Adams), 
John Williams, and William M'Koy evinced equal will- 
ingness, and went with Churchill to the armourer, of 
whom they obtained the keys of the arm-chest, under 
pretence of wanting a musket to fire at a shark, then 
alongside ; that finding Mr, Hallet asleep on an arm- 
chest in the main hatchway, they roused and sent him 
on deck. Charles Norman, unconscious of their pro- 
ceedings, had, in the meantime, awaked Mr. Hayward, 
and directed his attention to the shark whose move- 
ments he was watching at the moment that Mr. Chris- 
tian and his confederates came up the fore -hatchway, 
after having placed arms in the hands of several men 
who were not aware of their design. One man, Mat- 
thew Thompson, was left in charge of the chest, and he 
served out arms to Thomas Burkitt and Eobert Lamb. 
Mr. Christian said he then proceeded to secure Lieutenant 
Bligh, the master, gunner, and botanist." 

Such, then, are the principal details of this singular 



RETtJHN TO TAHITI. 115 

Mutiny, which, in many respects, stands alone in the 
history of the English Kavy. We have now a twofold 
story to tell : (I.) to trace the fortunes of the Bounty and 
the mutineers who held possession of her, and (II.) the 
wanderings of Bligh and his companions, whose fate it 
was in a small and feeble boat to dare the perils of the 
pathless seas. 

(I.) In the first instance Christian and his crew made 
for the pleasant island of Toobooai, in lat. 20° 13' S., 
long. 149° 35' W., where the Bounty anchored on the 
25th May 1789. Here they had designed to form an 
establishment ; but the natives were found to be un- 
favourable, and the mutineers were divided among 
themselves, so that a removal to Tahiti was finally 
decided upon. At that Calypso's Isle the Bounty 
arrived on the 6th of June. The chiefs and principal 
natives of the island eagerly inquired for Lieutenant 
Bligh and the remainder of the crew of the vessel* 
Christian was ready v/ith an ingenious evasion. They 
had met, he said, on their voyage Captain Cook, at the 
recently-discovered island of Whytoolakee, where that 
great navigator designed to found a colony, and natural^ 
ize the prolific bread-tree. That Captain Bligh and a 
large portion of his crew were assisting Captain Cook — 
that Mr. Christian had been ajopointed commander of 
the Bounty, and had returned to Tahiti to obtain an addi- 
tional supply of the vegetables and fruits peculiar to the 
Polynesian Islands. The islanders willingly accepted 
this explanation ; and delighted to find that their be* 
loved Captain Cook was living, and about to settle him- 
self in their own vicinity, eagerly made haste to prepare 
the stores they understood he required ; so that, in a 
week or two, there were put on board the Bounty, 312 
hogs, 38 goats, eight dozen fowls, a bull and a cow, and. 
liberal supplies of bread-fruit, bananas, yams, plan- 
tains, and cocoas. Eight men, nine women, and seven 
boys also embarked with the mutineers, and the ship, 

H 2 



116 pitcairn's island. 

hus loaded, sailed from Tahiti on the 19th of June, and 
anchored off Toobooai on the 26th. She was then 
warped np the harbour; the live stock were landed, 
and working parties were sent ashore to erect a block 
house, or timber fort, about fifty yards square. 

But Christian soon found that the natives of Toobooai 
were neither to be menaced nor cajoled into an amiable 
disposition, and that if he persisted in effecting a settle- 
ment there, he would have to live in a state of constant 
warfare. It was, therefore, proposed to start for Tahiti, 
and the proposition was carried by a majority of voices. 
They anchored again in Matavai Bay on the 22nd 
September, and Stewart and Heywood, accompanied by 
14 others, who repented the crime of which they had 
been guilty, went ashore, with the determination of 
abandoning the Bounty, Christian was thus enabled to 
carry out his original design of exploring the Polynesian 
seas until he should reach some hitherto undiscovered 
island, or one out of the ordinary track of commerce. 
He took with him, besides his eight associates — Edward 
Young, Alexander Smith {alias John Adams), William 
M'Koy, Matthew Quintal, John Williams, Isaac Martin, 
John Mills, and William Brown — six men and twelve 
women, natives of Toobooai and Tahiti. After a few 
days' sail he fell in with Pitcairn's Island, which was 
then incorrectly designated in the Admiralty Charts, 
and of which Christian doubtlessly considered himself 
the discoverer. It was, however, originally discovered 
in Captain Carteret's voyage (a.d. 1767), by one of his 
midshipmen, "son to Major Pitcairn of the marines," 
after whom it was named. It lies in 24° 40' S. lat., 
and 130° 24' W. long., and rises from the ocean — a 
pyramidical mass of lofty green hills, fenced in against 
the stormy waters of the Pacific by a steep and iron- 
bound coast, which constantly echoes with the clang 
and clash of surfy breakers. 

There being no harbour wherein a vessel could be 
safely moored, the Bounty was run ashore, and speedily 



A SINGULAR COLONY. 117 

broken up by Christian and his assistants. Christian 
then divided the island, which is about four miles long 
and two to three broad, into nine equal portions, one of 
which he appropriated to each European. In like 
manner he apportioned the hogs, goats, and poultry 
which he had brought from Tahiti. Houses were then 
built ; the land was tilled ; and such preparations for 
a permanent settlement were made as suggested them- 
selves to Christian. 

At first it would appear that the affairs of this 
singular colony progressed peacefully "and prosperously ; 
and except the occasional outbursts of Christian's temper, 
rendered gloomy and morose by brooding upon the evil 
he had done, a halcj^on tranquillity prevailed in the 
rock-bound ocean-fastness of Pitcairn's Isle. By de- 
grees fear for his safety overtook Christian's mind, and 
he made himself a place of concealment in a cave at 
the extremity of the lofty ridge of hills which traverses 
the island. Here he always kept a supply of pro- 
visions, and near it, in the heart of some thick-branching 
trees, constructed ' a hut as a look-out station. " So 
difficult w^as the approach to this cave," says Captain 
Beechey, '' that even if a party were successful in 
crossing the ridge, he might have bid defiance, as long- 
as his ammunition lasted, to any force." 

The good terms which at first existed between the 
mutineers and their Tahitian allies were interrupted, 
about two years after the destruction of the Bounty^ by 
the misconduct of the armourer Williams, who, having 
lost his wife by a fall from a rock, insisted upon taking 
away by force the companion of one of the Tahitians. 
The islanders, exasperated by this foul deed, secretly 
determined to revenge themselves by murdering all 
the Europeans, but the Tahitian women proved faithful 
to their white companions, and revealed the conspiracy 
against them by singing a song, whose burden was — 
"Why does black man sharp axe? To kill w^hite 
man," The husband who had been wronged, and 



118 ITS DISSENSIONS, 

another Tahitian whom Christian had fired at, betook 
themselves to the woods, where they were treacherously 
murdered by their own countrymen. 

No fresh outbreak occurred until about October 1793, 
when the Tahitians were driven into another murderous 
plot by the oppressive treatment they received at the 
hands of the mutineers. They now fixed upon a par- 
ticular day for killing the English tyrants while labour- 
ing in their respective plantations. The plot was to a 
great extent successful. V/illiams, who had acted as 
armourer, was first shot. The next victim was Chris- 
tian, who was working amongst his yams ; the third 
Mills ; and Martin and Brown the fourth and fifth. 
Adams (Alexander Smith) was slightly wounded in the 
shoulder, but having contrived to make terms with the 
Tahitians, was removed to Christian's house, where also 
Young, who was much esteemed by the women, was 
safely conveyed. M'Koy and Quintal escaped to the 
hills, though of all the mutineers they least deserved 
their security. Thus out of nine Englishmen only four 
were spared by the revengeful Tahitians. 

A quarrel speedily arose amongst the islanders re- 
garding the disposal of the wives of the murdered 
Englishmen, and Young and Adams found in these very 
women their best allies. One of the Tahitian mur- 
derers was shot to death by Young, the others were 
killed in the night by the Tahitian women. The settle- 
ment, now reduced to four men and ten women, enjoyed 
tolerable peace until 1798, when an outbreak occurred 
on the part of M'Koy and Quintal. The former had at 
one time been engaged in a Scotch distillery, and the 
knowledge there acquired he turned to evil account by 
distilling, with Quintal's help, an intoxicating liquor 
from a plant called the tee-root (or Draccena terminalis). 
From the moment of this discovery the two men were 
constantly intoxicated, until M'Koy in a fit of delirium 
tremens flung himself off a cliff and was dashed to pieces. 
Soon afterwards Quintal revived his demand for a wife, 



A PASTORAL RULE. 119 

selecting as the object of his desire one of the wives of 
his companions, and when they rejected his proposal, 
vowing their destruction. In self-preservation, there- 
fore, Adams and Young were compelled to put him to 
death. 

The two survivors now endeavoured to establish in 
their little settlement the recognized code of morality 
and the laws of a pure religion. The Church Service 
was read regularly every Sunday ; family prayers were 
celebrated every morning and evening ; and instruction 
was duly given to the nineteen children who had been 
born upon the island. Young died about a year after 
Quintal's death ; but Adams continued these earnest 
endeavours to educate the community in a thorough 
knowledge of their duties both to God and man, and 
so far succeeded that an Eden-like purity character- 
ized the youthful sons and daughters of Pitcairn's 
Island. 

Their peaceful ocean-solitude was at length broken in 
upon. The American ship Topaz, of Boston, commanded 
by a Captain Folger, chanced to fall in with Pitcairn's 
Island in September 1808, and communicated the inte- 
resting particulars of his discovery to the British Admi- 
ralty. K o notice, however, was taken of the existence 
of a surviving participator in the Mutiny of the Bounty 
by the government. In 1814, the frigates Briton, Sir 
Thomas Staines, and Tagus, Captain Pipon, were cruising 
in the Pacific, and they, too, happened upon the Mu- 
tineers' Isle. Captain Sir Thomas Staines' official ac- 
count, addressed to the Lords of the Admiralty, may 
here be quoted :— 

*' BritoUi Valparaiso, 18th October,, 1814. 

*'• I have the honour to inform you that on my passage 
from the Marquesas Islands to this port, on the morn- 
ing of the 17 th September, I fell in with an island 
where none is laid down in the Admiralty or other 
charts, according to the several chronometers of the 



120 NARRATIVE OF CAPTAIN STAINES. 

Briton and Tagus. I therefore hove to, until daylight, 
and then closed to ascertain whether it was inhabited, 
which I soon discovered it to be, and, to my great 
astonishment, found that every individual on the island 
(forty in number) spoke very good English. They 
proved to be the descendants of the deluded crew of the 
Bounty, who, from Otaheite, proceeded to the above- 
mentioned island, where the ship was burnt. 

'' Christian appeared to have been the leader and sole 
cause of the mutiny in that ship. A venerable old man, 
named John Adams, is the only surviving Englishman 
of those who last quitted Otaheite in her, and whose 
exemplary conduct, and fatherly care of the whole of 
the little colony, could not but command admiration. 
The pious manner in which all those born on the island 
have been reared, the correct sense of religion which 
has been instilled into their young minds by this old 
man, has given him the pre-eminence over the whole of 
them, to whom they look up as the father of one and 
the whole family. 

" A son of Christian was the first born on the island, 
now about twenty-five years of age, named Thursday 
October Christian : the elder Christian fell a sacrifice to 
the jealousy of an Otaheitan man, within three or four 
years after their arrival on the island. The mutineers 
were accompanied thither by six Otaheitan men and 
twelve women ; the former were all swept away by 
desperate contentions between them and the English- 
men, and five of the latter died at different periods, 
leaving at present only one man (Adams) and seven 
women of the original settlers. 

" The island must undoubtedly be that called Pit- 
cairn, although erroneously laid down in the charts. 
We had the altitude of the meridian sun close to it, 
which gave us 25° 4' S. latitude, and 130° 25' W. longi- 
tude, by the chronometers of the Briton and Tagus, 

*' It produces in abundance yams, plantains, hogs, 
goats, and fowls ; but the coast affords no shelter for a 



THE PITCAIRN ISLANDERS. 121 

ship or vessel of any description ; neither could a ship 
water there without great difficulty. 

" During the whole of the time they have been on 
the island, only one ship has ever communicated with 
them, which took place about six years since ; and this 
was the American ship Topaz ^ of Boston, May hew 
Folger, master. 

" The island is completely iron-bound with rocky 
shores, and the landing in boats must be at all times 
difficult, although the island may be safely approached 
within a short distance by a ship. 

(Signed) '' T. Staines." 

Young Christian, whose singular names — Thursday 
October — indicated his birth on a Thursday in the month 
of October^ was at this time a tall athletic youth, full 
six feet J high, with hair nearly jet black in colour, a 
frank open countenance, and a ruddy-brown com- 
plexion. He wore no clothes but a piece of cloth round 
his loins, and a straw hat, which was adorned with black 
cock*s feathers. His companion, George Young, the 
son of Young the midshipman, was '* a fine handsome 
youth of seventeen or eighteen years of age." The 
colony numbered forty-six persons in all, mostly grown- 
up young people, with a few infants. The young men, 
all born on the island, were finely formed, athletic, and 
handsome ; their countenances, open and pleasing, indi- 
cated much benevolence and goodness of heart ; but 
the young women were particularly objects of attraction, 
being tall, robust, and beautifully formed, their faces 
beaming with smiles, and glowing with unruffled good 
humour ; while their manners and demeanour exhibited 
a degree of modesty and bashfulness that would have 
done honour to the most virtuous circles of English 
society. Their teeth are described as beautifully white, 
like the finest ivory, and perfectly regular, without a 
single exception ; and all of them, both male and female, 
had the marked expression of English features, though 



122 THEIB ISLAND-HOME. 

not exactly the clear red and white that distinguish. 
English skins, — their complexion having the general 
hne of what is called the brunette. The little village 
of Pitcairn is spoken of as forming a neat square ; the 
house of John Adams, with its out-houses, occupying 
the upper corner, near a spreading banian tree, and 
that of Thursday October Christian the lower corner, 
opposite to it. The central space was a broad open 
lawn, where the poultry wandered, fenced round so as 
to prevent the intrusion of hogs and goats. It was 
obviously visible, from the manner in which the grounds 
were laid out, and the plantations formed, that in this 
little establishment, the labour and ingenuity of Euro- 
pean hands had been employed. In their houses the 
islanders possessed a good deal of decent furniture, con- 
sisting of beds and bedsteads, with suitable coverings. 
They had also tables and large chests for their clothing. 
Their linen was made from the bark of a certain tree, 
and its manufacture formed the chief employment of the 
elderly portion of the women. The bark was first 
soaked, then beaten with square pieces of wood, of the 
breadth of one's hand, hollowed out into grooves, and 
the labour continued until the cloth was brought to the 
required breadth. 

The attention of the English Government, however, 
could not yet be stimulated into any degree of interest 
in the settlers on Pitcairn's Island. This was not 
effected until Captain (afterwards Eear - Admiral) 
Beechey's visit, in 1825, during his exploring voyage in 
the Blossom, Meanwhile, the islanders had received an 
important accession to their number in a person, named 
John Buffet, left among them by a whaling vessel. In 
him they had found both an able and willing instructor 
of the young, and a moderate and sincere guide in their 
religious duties. 

Captain Beechey's accoimt of his visit is of high 
interest ; and although we have already loaded our pages 
with] quotations, we cannot refrain from dipping into 



HANNAH YOUNG. 123 

his graphic pages for a few agreeable details. It was 
several hours after the Blossom had been descried by 
the male inhabitants of the island before she approached 
the shore. Then Captain Beechey and his party were 
landed in a whale boat belonging to the colony, after a 
difficult passage through the rocks and breakers whieh 
are the island's effectual and natural defence. But the 
difficulty of landing (says the Captain) was more than 
repaid by the friendly reception accorded to the 
strangers by Hannah Yoimg, a very interesting young 
woman, the daughter of John Adams. " In her eager- 
ness to greet her father [who had rowed aboard the 
Blossom when she first appeared in the offing], she had 
outrun her female companions, for whose delay she 
thought it necessary, in the first place, to apologise, by 
saying they had all been over the hill in company with 
John Buffet to look at the ship, and were not yet 
returned. It appeared that John Buffet, who was a sea- 
faring man, had ascertained that the ship was a man-of- 
war, and, without knowing exactly why, became so 
alarmed for the safety of Adams, that he either could 
not or would not answer any of the interrogatories 
which were put to him. This mysterious silence set 
all the party in tears, as they feared he had discovered 
something adverse to their patriarch. At length his 
obduracy yielded to their entreaties ; but before he 
explained the cause of his conduct, the boats were seen 
to put off from the ship, and Hannah immediately hur- 
ried to the beach to kiss the old man's cheek, which she 
did with a fervency demonstrative of the warmest affec- 
tion. Her apology for her companions was rendered 
unnecessary by their appearance on the steep and cir- 
cuitous path down the mountain, who, as they arrived 
on the beach, successively welcomed us to their island, 
with a simplicity and sincerity which left no doubt of 
the truth of their professions." 

Captain Beechey describes the village as consisting of 
five houses, which crested a cleared piece of ground 



124 PRIMITIVE INNOCENCE. 

sloping boldly towards the sea. When the voyagers 
had arrived there, the island women began their pre- 
parations for supper, using — as a stove— stones heated 
in a pit or hollow made in the ground. Plates, knives, 
and forks showed the English origin of the male settlers. 
Before the meal commenced, John Buffet said grace 
with remarkable fervonr, — a custom which was never 
neglected even if the person saying ib had but a piece 
of bread or a biscuit before him. On one occasion, 
when Captain Beechey and Adams were intent in con- 
versation, Adams incautiously took a mouthful without 
the usual preface. Before he had swallowed it, he 
recollected his error, — and, as if he had been guilty of 
some great crime, immediately removed the obnoxious 
portion from his mouth, and commenced his prayer. 

A curious illustration is given by Captain Beechey of 
the innocence and simplicity of the island women. The 
captain and his companions had slept in the hut on one 
occasion. When they awoke they found that by their 
bedside had already been placed some ripe fruits ; and 
their hats were adorned with garlands of the nono, or 
flower-tree (Morinda citrifolia)^ all bespangled with the 
diamond drops of the morning dew. *' On looking 
round the apartment," says the captain, ** though it con- 
tained several beds, we found no partition, curtain, or 
screens ; they had not yet been considered necessary. So 
far, indeed, from concealment being thought of, when we 
were about to get up, the women, anxious to show their 
attention, assembled to wish us good morning, and to 
inquire in what way they could best contribute to our 
comforts, and to present us with some little gift, which 
the produce of the island afforded. Many persons would 
have felt awkward at rising and dressing before so many 
pretty black-eyed damsels, assembled in the centre of 
a spacious room ; but by a little habit we overcame this 
embarrassment, and found the benefit of their services 
in fetching water as we required it, and in substituting 
clean linen for such as we pulled off." 



SUPPLIES FROM ENGLAND. 125 

On liis return to England, Captain Beechey made a 
report to the Government of the condition of the Pit- 
cairn Islanders, and it was determined to se d them a 
supply of certain necessaries which they were much in 
need of. So many years had elapsed since their crime 
was committed that if any of the mutineers of the Bounty 
had survived, no English administration, under the 
circumstances, would have cared to render them amen- 
able to the law ; but John Adams, the last survivor and 
the patriarch of Pitcairn's Island, had died in 1829, 
and no other of the inhabitants knew aught of the 
Mutiny but by tradition. A supply, for sixty persons, 
of sailors' jackets and trousers, flannel waistcoats, 
stockings, women's clothing, boots, agricultural imple- 
ments, &c., was accordingly despatched in the Seringa- 
jpatam (Hon. Captain Waldegrave), which arrived at 
Pitcairn's Island in March 1830, and found the little 
colony as prosperous, as peaceful, and as happy as of 
yore. 

From that date its numbers so largely increased, that 
the island could no longer provide for their support, and 
the British Government, therefore, upon the abandon- 
ment of Norfolk Island as a penal settlement, removed 
to that more suitable and extended area the descendants 
of the mutineers of the Bounty (a.d. 1856), numbering 
199 in all, of whom the oldest woman was eighty, and 
the oldest man sixty years of age. 

(II.) Bligh and ms Cojipanions: the Boat Voyage. 

Having traced the fortunes of those members of the 
original crew of the Bounty who, acting under the 
leadership of Christian, established themselves upon 
Pitcairn's " rock-bound isle," let us now — very briefly 
^sketch the adventures of Lieutenant Bligh and his 
companions, exposed to dare the perils of the sea in a 
frail and ill-provided boat. 

The provisions supplied for the Lieutenant and his 
eighteen followers consisted of 150 lbs. of bread, 32 lbs. 



126 A BOAT- VOYAGE. 

of pork, 6 bottles of wine, 6 quarts of rum, 28 gallons of 
water, and 4 empty casks. To increase this scanty 
store Bligh, in the first place, made for the island of 
Tofoa in search of cocoa-nnts and plantains. Of these 
he obtained but a small supply, which served, however, 
to recruit the spirits of his men: *' every countenance 
appeared to have a degree of cheerfulness, and they all 
seemed determined to do their best." From Tofoa they 
were speedily driven away by an attack from the natives, 
in which Norton, the quartermaster, was unfortunately 
killed ; and Bligh now determined to attempt the voyage 
to Timor — a distance of nearly four thousand miles — 
where he hoped to fall in with some European Tessel 
bound for England. To accomplish so prolonged a 
passage it was evident their small store of provisions 
must be managed with the utmost parsimony ; and Bligh 
informed his men that he could only allow them daily 
an ounce of bread and a quarter of a pint of water. To 
this arrangement every man consented ; and at about 
eight o'clock at night on the 2nd of June, in a small 
boat only twenty-three feet long from stem to stern, 
Bligh and his seventeen companions bore away across 
the pathless seas. 

The dangers to which the adventurers were exposed, 
and the hardships they suffered, are almost indescrib- 
able. They were buffeted by storms, and drenched 
with violent rains, — their only extra comfort, in these 
cases, being the occasional allowance of a tea-spoonful of 
rum. An ounce and a half of pork was each man's daily 
share of meat. Very few of the crew but, from exposure 
and insufficient food, fell ill with violent pain in the 
bowels and rheumatic affections of the limbs. After 
the sea broke over the boat so much that two men had 
to be constantly emploj^ed in baling, — ^' I could look 
no way," says Bligh, " but I caught the eye of some 
one in distress. Extreme hunger was now too evident ; 
but no one suffered from thirst, nor had we much 
inclination to drink, that desire perhaps being satisfied 



A MUTINY QUELLED. 127 

throTigli the skin. Tlie little sleep we got was in the 
midst of water, and we constantly awoke with severe 
cramps and pains in our bones." On the 25th, the 
capture of a bird called the noddy— sihout the size of a 
chicken — was hailed by everybody as an incident of 
rare good foi'time. It was divided into eighteen por- 
tions, and regarded as a valuable addition to the nsual 
allowance. Others were caught on succeeding days, 
and their capture infinitely relieved the spirits of the 
men by breaking the monotony of their daily life. 

On the 28th, the launch glided into smooth water off 
the coast of New Holland, and in the evening a party 
who landed having discovered a quantity of oysters and 
freshwater, the wanderers enjoyed a feast which seemed 
to them of unusual sumptuousness. The change of diet 
and scene proved of great sanitary benefit ; and on the 
30th, Bligh and his companions bore away from Eesto- 
ration Island — as they named the little sandy islet where 
they had rested — in renewed hope and with increased 
vigour. 

On the 31st they landed on another Australian island, 
to which was given the name of " Sunday." " I sent 
out two parties," writes the Lieutenant, " one to the 
northward and the other to the southward, to seek for 
supplies, and others I ordered to stay by the boat. On 
this occasion fatigue and weakness so far got the better 
of theii' sense of duty, that some of the people expressed 
their discontent at having worked harder than their 
companions, and declared that they would rather be 
without their dinner than go in search of it. One per- 
son, in particular, went so far as to tell me, v^dth a 
mutinous look, that he was as good a man as myself. 
It was not possible for one to judge where this might 
have an end, if not stopped in time. To prevent, there- 
fore, such disputes in iiiture, I determined either to pre- 
serve my command or die in the attempt ; and, seizing a 
cutlass, I ordered him to lay hold of another and defend 
himself ; on which he called out that I was going to 



128 SUFFERINGS OF THE VOYAGERS, 

kill him, and immediately made concessions. I did not 
allow this to interfere further with the harmony of the 
boat's crew, and everything soon became quiet." 

On the 8rd of June the voyagers cleared the last 
headland on the Australian coast, and once more sailed 
away upon the open ocean. Some bad weather was 
now encountered ; and Ledward the surgeon,- and Le- 
bogue a seaman, fell into so grievous a condition of ill 
health as to excite alarm. No remedy, however, could 
be administered to them but an occasional tea-spoonful 
of wine. 

*' In the morning of the 10th," continues the Lieu- 
tenant, '' after a very comfortless night, there was a 
visible alteration for the worse in many of the people, 
which gave me great apprehensions. An extreme weak- 
ness, swelled legs, hollow and ghastly countenances, a 
more than common inclination to sleep, with an appa- 
rent debility of understanding, seemed to me the melan- 
choly presages of an approaching dissolution. The 
surgeon and Lebogue, in particular, were most miserable 
objects : I occasionally gave them a few tea-spoonfuls of 
wine, out of the little that remained, which greatly 
assisted them. The hope of being able to accomplish 
the voyage was our principal support." 

The melancholy condition and the sufferings of these 
brave and uncomplaining navigators — true sons of the 
sea, like the Norsemen of old — has been graphically 
pictured by the poet : — 

" 'Tis mine (he says) to tell their tale of giief, 
Their constant peril and their scant relief ; 
Their days of danger, and their nights of pain ; 
Their manly courage, even when deem'd in vain ; 
The sapping famine, rendering scarce a son 
Known to his mother in the skeleton ; 
The ills that lessen'd still their little store, 
And starved even Hunger till he wrung no more ; 
The varying frowns and favours of the deep, 
That now almost engulfs, then leaves to creep 
"With crazy oar and shatter'd strength along 
The tide, that yields reluctant to the strong ; 



ARRIVAL AT TIMOR. J 29 

Th' incessant fever of that arid thirst 

Which welcomes, as a well, the clouds that burst 

Above their naked bones, and feel delight 

In the cold drenching of the stormy night, 

And from the outspread canvas gladly wrings 

A drop to moisten Life's all-gasping springs ; 

The savage foe escap'd, to seek again 

More hospitable shelter from the main ; 

The ghastly spectres, which were doom'd at last 

To tell as true a tale of dangers past, 

As ever the dark annals of the deep 

Disclos'd for man to dread or woman weep." 

But the end of these perilous wanderings was haj)pily 
at hand. On the 12th of June, the island of Timor was 
discovered at only a distance of two leagues from the 
shore, and never probably did the cry of " Land!" fall 
upon more grateful ears. In an open boat, and inade- 
quately provided with stores, Bligh and his companions 
had safely accomplished a voyage of 3,618 nautical miles 
in 41 days, and that, happily, without any loss of life. 

Their condition, • when they landed in Coupang Bay, 
might have been depicted by the honor-loving pencil 
of a mediaeval artist. Their bodies were " nothing but 
skin and bones," their limbs festered with sores, and 
their habiliments reduced to rags. 

For upwards of two months they remained there, to 
recruit their strength, and then, on the 28th of August, 
set sail in a schooner which had been bought and 
armed for the purpose, arriving in the Batavia Eoads 
on the 1st of October. Here, Lieutenant Bligh embarked 
for England in a Dutch packet, which landed him on 
the Isle of Wight on the 14th of March 1790, about 
two years and four months from the departure of the 
Bounty on her fatal voyage. Eleven of his companions 
speedily followed him in the Dutch East Indiamen. 
The remainder must be thus accounted for: — Nelson, 
the botanist, died at Coupang; Elphinstone, master's 
mate, Linklater and Hall, seamen, at Batavia; Eobert 
Lamb,. seaman, on his passage to England; and of Led- 

I 



130 VOYAGE OF THE ** PANDORA." 

ward, the surgeon, who was left behind at Coiipang, 
no tidings were ever afterwards obtained. 

When the particulars of the Mutiny had been com- 
municated by Bligh to the British Government, steps 
were immediately taken to bring the mutineers to justice. 
The Pandora frigate, Captain Edwards, was accordingly 
despatched to secure the persons of the criminals. The 
Pandora anchored in Matavai Bay on the 23rd March 
1791. Joseph Coleman, the armourer of the Bounty^ 
immediately went on board, and was followed by the 
two midshipmen, who voluntarily surrendered. The 
other mutineers were soon secured, and the persons 
thus confined on board the Pandora included, — Hey- 
wood and Stewart, midshipmen ; Morrison, boatswain's 
mate; Norman, carpenter's mate; M'Intosh, carpenter's 
crew ; Coleman, armourer ; Skinner, Ellison, Hillbrant, 
Burkitt, Mill ward, Sumner, Muspratt, and Byrne, 
seamen. 

They were immediately loaded with irons and con- 
fined in a small unwholesome round-house on the after- 
part of the quarter-deck. In fact. Captain Edwards 
behaved to them with studied barbarity throughout 
their long and dangerous voyage. The frigate was 
wrecked on the Barrier Eeef, off the coast of New 
Holland, on the 29th of August, when four of the mu- 
tineers, and about seventy seamen, were drowned. 

The survivors were distributed in four boats, and 
after a tedious voyage of nearly 1000 miles, arrived at 
Coupang on the 13th of September. A court-martial 
was held upon the ariival of the mutineers in England, 
which adjudged to suffer death Heywood, Morrison, 
Ellison, Burkitt, Millward, and Muspratt, and acquitted 
Norman, Coleman, M'Intosh, and Byrne. A free pardon 
was subsequently awarded to Heywood, Morrison, and 
Muspratt ; and the only victims were Ellison, Millward, 
and Burkitt. 

Thus ended the story of the *' Mutiny of the Bounty," 



131 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE STORY OF THE *' ARETHITSA." 

[Period of Service : Reign of George III, 
Strength : 32 guns, 220 men, 850 tons.] 

" Come all ye jolly sailors bold, 
Whose hearts are cast in honour's mould, 
Wliile English glory I unfold. 

Hurra for the Arethusa /" — Charles Bihdin, 

During that protracted war with Revolutionary and Im- 
perial France which England for twenty years carried 
on, almost unaided, the spirit of an ardent patriotism 
glowed so warmly in English breasts that any additional 
incentive or extraneous stimulant seemed unnecessary. 
But if those *' hearts of oak " who so nobly maintained 
the honour of our fiag and preserved our shores invio- 
late had required such an inspiration, they might have 
found it in the bold and dashing sea-lyrics of Charles 
Dibdin. Fletcher of Saltoun said that if he had the 
making of the ballads of a nation, he cared not who 
made its laws ; and probably the influence of Dibdin's 
songs upon our seamen was as great as any rewards 
proposed by the British legislature. 

One of the most famous of these was the ballad of 
The Arethusa,^ It has now a smack of antiquity about 
it ; a flavour of days that are past, and of things that 
can never be again. Yet there is a life and fervour in 
its rude rough strains which will rescue them from 
oblivion as long as Englishmen respect the traditions of 
their naval supremacy. 

* It is set to a very beautiful melody by Shield. 

I 2 



132 dibdin's ballad. 

The "Arethtjsa." 

Come all ye jolly sailors bold, 

Whose hearts are cast in honour's mould, 

"While English glory I unfold, 

Hurra for the Arethusa ! 
She is a frigate tight and brave 
As ever stemm'd the dashing wave, 
The men are staunch to their favourite launch, 
And when the foe shall meet our fire, 
Sooner than strike we'll all expire 

On board of the A rethusa ! 

'Twas with the spring fleet she went out. 

The English Channel to cruise about. 

When four French sail in show so stout 
Bore down on the Arethusa ! 

The fam'd Belle Poule in sight did lie, 

The Arethusa seem'd to fly. 

Not a sheet or a track or a brace did she slack, 
TJio' the Frenchmen laugh'd, and thought it stuff, 
But they knew not the handful of men, how tough, 
On board of the Arettusa. 

On deck ^yq hundred men did dance. 

The stoutest they could find in France ; 

We with two hundred did advance 
On board of the Arethusa : 

Our captain hail'd the Frenchman, ho ! 

The Frenchman then cried out, hallo ! 

"Bear down, d'ye see, to our Admhal's lee," — • 
" No, no," said the Frenchman, " that can't be ;" 
" Then I must lug you along with me," 
Says the saucy Arethusa ! 

The fight was off the Frenchman's land. 
We forc'd them back upon their strand. 
For we fouglit till not a stick would stand 

Of the gallant Arethusa ; 
And now we've driven the foe ashore, 
Never to fight with Britons more. 
Let each fill a glass to his favourite lass, 
A health to the captain and officers true. 
And all that belong to the jovial crew 
On board of the Arethusa ! 

Dibdin's spirited lyric, which, during the last naval 
war, was very popular with our British tars, was 



A I^RIGATE-ACTION. 133 

founded on an incident which will be described in the 
following narrative. 

The Aretliusa was a fine French frigate of 32 guns, 
captured by the frigates Thames and Venus, in Audieme 
Bay, on the 18th of May 1759, and added to the British 
Navy under the same name. Peace being concluded in 
1762, and hostilities with France not being recom- 
menced until she displayed her open sympathy with our 
revolted colonies, she was not commissioned for active 
service until 1778. She was then attached to Admiral 
Keppel's fleet intended to operate against the French in 
Brest. 

On the 12 th of June, the Admiral put to sea, with 
twenty sail of the line, three frigates, and a fire-ship. 
When oif the Lizard, on the 17th, two frigates and a 
schooner were discovered, which Keppel ordered the 
Aretliusa and Milford to pursue. 

The Aretliusa was then commanded by Captain 
Samuel Marshall, a gallant and experienced officer, 
who crowded on all sail, and towards night came up 
with one of the French fugitives, which proved to be 
the 40-gun frigate Belle Poule. Notwithstanding his 
great inferiority of force. Captain Marshall hailed, and 
no formal declaration of war having yet taken place 
between France and England, at first contented himself 
with requesting the captain of the Belle Poule to bear 
up in his company for the British admiral. The Belle 
Poule refused, and the Aretliusa then fired a shot across 
her bows to compel her to bring to. The French 
frigate I'ejDlied with a broadside. A terrible action 
commenced, and was continued at close quarters, and 
without inteimission for two hours, when in conse- 
quence of the disabled condition of the Arethusa, the 
Belle Poule contrived to make sail, and succeeded 
in getting under the land. So well, however, had iho 
Aretliusa handled her guns, that the Belle Poule lost no . 
less than 4 officers and 44 men killed, and 50 wounded. 
The Arethusa counted only 8 killed and 36 wounded; 



134 DEFEAT OF THE FRENCH. 

but her sails and rigging were so cut up, and her yards 
and spars so knocked to pieces, that she required tow- 
ing back to the fleet. 

Meanwhile, the Milford and the 74-gun ship Hector 
had quickly compelled the other French frigate, La 
Licorne, of 32 guns, to surrender. The French schooner, 
which proved to be Le Courier, of ten guns, was over- 
taken by the English Alert, of about equal force. 
Having refused to answer the summons of the Alert, 
Captain Fairfax laid his schooner alorpgside of her, and 
after a gallantly contested action, had the satisfaction 
of hauling down the French colours. The Alert had two 
of her men mortally, and two severely wounded ; the 
Courier, out of a much more numerous crew, lost five 
killed, and had seven wounded mortally. 

On the 18th of June, the French 32-gun frigate 
Pallas was taken by the British, and sent into Ply- 
mouth. From this ship Admiral Keppel obtained in- 
telligence that the French Channel fleet contained no 
less than 32 sail of the line, and he accordingly returned 
to Spithead to obtain a reinforcement. 

Admiral Keppel sailed from Spithead on the 11th 
of July, with a fleet composed of 30 sail of the line, and 
6 frigates : — The Victory, 100 guns ; Queen, 90 ; For- 
midahle, 90 ; DuJce, Sandwich, Prince George, and Ocean, 
90's ; Foudroyant, 80 ; Courageux, Thunderer, Valiant, 
Terrible, Vengeance, Monarch, Hector, Centaur, Shreivshm-y, 
Cumberland, Berwick, Elizabeth, Bobust, Egmont, Bamillies, 
74:'s ; Exeter, Stirling Castle, Bienfaisant, Vigilant, Wor- 
cester, Defiance, America, 64:'s : — in the aggregate, 
2,470 guns. 

The French, under the Comte d'Orvilliers, had one 
ship of 110 guns, one of 92, three of 80, thirteeen of 74, 
twelve of 64, one of 50, and thirteen frigates : in all, 
mounting (including the frigates) 2,638 guns. The 
French guns carried heavier metal, and their ships 
were manned by larger crews, than the English. The 
Comte d'Orvillier's flag flew on board *the 110-gun ship, 



BATTLE OFF USHANT. 135 

the Bretagne : Admiral Keppel hoisted his on board the 
Vidoi-y ; Vice -Admiral Sir Eobert Harland, on board 
the Queen ; and Vice- Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, on 
board the Formidable, The Foudroyant was com- 
manded by Captain John Jervis (afterwards Earl St. 
Vincent). 

These two mighty armadas came in sight of each 
other off Ushant on the 23rd of July, but the French 
having the advantage of the wind, declined the general 
engagement sought by the British. On the 27th, the 
British fleet ^ras much scattered through the variable- 
ness of the wind and the activity of the chase, but the 
weather moderating, Admiral Keppel was enabled to 
bear up for the enemy. Desirous of bringing his ships 
together, he then signalled several of Sir Hugh Palliser's 
division to chase to windward. At about a quarter to 
twelve, a succession of manoeuvi^es brought the two 
fleets within gunshot range, — the French in an irregu- 
larly formed column attempting to pass along the 
British line to windward. In executing this movement 
the Bretagne was the van ship, and the first engaged by 
the Victory, which afterwards exchanged broadsides 
with each vessel of the enemy as she parsed. The 
British van suffered, in this curious engagement, but 
little damage ; but the wind dropping, the French 
passed along the rear division much more slowly, and 
their heavy cannonading inflicted considerable loss. 

The Comte d'Orvilliers having thus '* run the gaunt- 
let " of the whole British line, Admiral Keppel, at half- 
past one, signalled for his fleet to wear and follow the 
enemy, and the Victory and other ships of his division 
obeyed the signal ; but in consequence of some grievous 
misapprehension on Sir Hugh Palliser's part, his ships 
did not close in the chase, and the action, therefore, 
was not renewed. *' This has been attributed to the 
bad code of signals in use at the time, which caused 
much delay in sending messages by frigates." From 
whatever cause so lamentable a failure arose, it naturally 



136 INGLORIOUS RESmt. 

produced mucli dissatisfaction in tlie popular mind* 
Admiral Keppel accused Palliser, and Palliser recrimi- 
nated npon Keppel. Courts-maii;ial were held upon 
"both, officers, — that of Keppel on the 7th of January. 
The Admiral was acquitted ; pronounced a brave and 
experienced officer, and to have rendered essential 
service to the state. Palliser was also acquitted, but 
censured for not having acquainted his commander-in- 
chief with the disabled condition of his ships, which 
was the alleged cause of his disobedience of the signal 
to renew the action with the enemy. 

The popular feeling was decidedly in favour of 
Keppel, and his acquittal was celebrated by great 
rejoicing. General illuminations prevailed in London 
and Westminster ; and the mob burnt Palliser in efQgj 
and sacked his house. The Common Council voted the 
thanks of the city to Keppel for his patriotic services, 
and presented him with its "freedom" in a box of 
heart of oak. 

The loss of the British in this most inglorious action 
was 133 killed and 373 wounded, against a French loss 
of 163 killed and 519 wounded. The frigates bore no 
share in the engagement, and the Arethusa had nojop- 
portunity of again distinguishing herself under British 
colours. 

In 1779 she was commissioned by Captain Everitt as 
a Channel cruiser; and on the 18th of March, catching 
sight of a French frigate, made all sail in pursuit. 
When off Brest, however, a French line-of-battle ship, 
lying in the outer road, was despatched to her com- 
rade's assistance ; and the Arethusa, endeavouring to 
escape from so powerful an enemy, struck in the night 
upon a reef of rocks, near Molines, and went to pieces. 
All on board were saved, but with the exception of one 
boat's crew, whose escape was not effected without 
great labour and privation, made prisoners. Such was 
the unhappy end of Dibdin's saucy Arethma ; but her 
name was long preserved in the British Kavy. 



137 



OHAPTEE IX. : 

THE STORY OF THE LOSS OF THE '* ROYAL GEORGE.'* 

[Time of Service : Keign of George III., 1759-1782. 
Strength : 108 guns, 850 men, 2,200 tons.] 

** Plangimiis fortes. Periere fortes, 
Patrium propter periere littiis 
Bis quater centum ; subito sub alto 
uEquore mersi. 

" Kavis, innitens lateri, jacebat, 
Mains ad summas trepidabat undas, 
Cum levis, funes quatiens, ad imum 
Depulit aiu'a." — Coicper. 

The loss of tlie Boyal George, off Spithead, is one of 
the best-knoYy^n occurrences in tlie annals of the British 
Kavy. For this general fame it is perhaps largely- 
indebted to the poet Cowper, who has recorded the 
catastrophe in simple but effective verse, as well as to 
the singularity of the event, — taking place, as it did, 
in the calm of a summer day and in the waters of a 
sheltered anchorage. Cowper's popular ballad runs as 
follows : — 

" Toll for the brave ! 

The brave that are no more ! 
All sunk beneath the wave, 
Fast by their native shore ! 

** Eight hundred of the brave, 
Whose courage well was tried. 
Had made the vessel heel, 
And laid her on her side. 

" A land-breeze shook the shrouds. 
And she was overset ; 
Down went the Eoyal George, 
With all her crew complete. 



1 38 COWPER's ' LYRIC. 

** Toll for the brave! 

Brave Kempenfeldt is gone 
His last sea-fight is fought, 
His work of glory done. 

*' It was not in the battle ; 

No tempest gave the shock ; 
She sprang no fatal leak ; 
She i-an upon no rock. 

" His sword was in its sheath ; 
His fingers held the pen, 
When Kempenfeldt went down. 
With twice four hundred men. 

** Weigli the vessel up, 

Once dreaded by our foes ! 
And mingle with our cup 
The tear that England owes. 

** Her timbers yet are sound. 
And she may float again. 
Full-charged with England's thunder, 
And plough the distant main. 

*• But Kempenfeldt is gone. 
His victories are o'er ; 
And he, and his eight hundred. 
Shall plough the wave no more." 

The Boyal George was a lOO-gun sliip of great size 
and excellent construction, which was jnstly regarded 
as the finest and most powerful vessel in the Eoyal 
Navy. 

She was quite a new ship when, in 1759, Admiral Sir 
Edward Hawke hoisted his flag (Blue) on board of her, 
and proceeded with a powerful fleet to blockade Brest. 
Her consorts were as follow : — 

The Union of 90 s-uns \ Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Hardy. 
Ane union, ot yu guns \q^^^^^^ l£,^f^nQ. 

Mars, 74 . . . Commodore James Young. 

Diihe, 90 . . . Capt. Graves. 

Namur, 90 . . . . „ M. Buckle. 

Warspite, 74 . . „ Sir J. Bentley. 

Hercules, 74 . . „ W. Fortescue. 

Torhay, 74 . . . „ Hon. A. KeppeJ. 

Magnanime, 74 . „ Lord Howe. 



Eesolution, 74 



THK HOSTILE FLEETS. 139 

Capt. H. Speke. 



Hon. G. Edgcmnbe. 
Sir T. Stanhope. 
P. Dennis. 
S. Gambier. 
S. W. Willett. 
Hon. W. Shirley. 
J. Storr. 
L. O'Brien. 
T. Shirley. 
J. Maplesdon. 
J. Rowley. 
R. Digby. 
P. Baiid. 



Hero, 74 
Sioiftsure, 70 
Dorsetshire, 70 
Burford, 70 , 
Chichester, 70 
Temple, 70 . 
Revenge, 64 
Essex, 64 . 
Kingston, 60 
Intrepid, 60 
Montagu, 60 
Dunkirk, 60 
Defiance, 60 

On the other hand, the French fleet in the harbour of 
Brest consisted of: — 

Le Soleil Boyal, 80 ; Tonnant, 80 ; Formidable, 80 ; Orient, 80 ; 
L'Intrepide, 74 ; Glorieux, 74 ; Th^see, 74 ; L'Reros, 74 ; Magni- 
fique, 74 ; Jiiste, 70 ; Superhe, 70 ; Dauphin Royal, 70 ; Dragon, 
Northumberland, Sphyrvx, Solitaire, Brilliant, L'Eveille, Bizarre, 
E Inflexible, dM 64's ; and five frigates, Hebe, Vestale, D'Aigrettet 
Calypso, and Prince Noir. 

We may, therefore, assume that the English fleet, 
Tinder Hawke, mounted 1,726 guns; the French, under 
M. de Conflans, a good and intrepid seaman, about 1,600. 
The French guns, however, were generally of heavier 
calibre than the English; but, on the other hand, 
M. de Conflans had no ship equal to the Boyal George, 

After showing his formidable broadsides to the block- 
aded foe for several weeks, Hawke was driven off his 
station by a violent gale, and constrained to put into 
Torbay. On the very same day the alert De Conflans 
slipped out of Brest, and proceeded in search of a small 
English squadron (four 50-gun ships and six frigates), 
under Commodore Duff, which he supposed to be sta- 
tioned in Quiberon Bay, and intended to overpower 
before Hawke could come to its relief. But the English 
Admiral, wlien he learnt t)f his escape from Brest, imme- 
diately conjectured his design, and signalled to his fleet 
to weigh anchor and keep down Channel under press of 
sail. A strong south-east wind, however, prevented his 



140 ACTION OFF BELLE-ISLE. 

arrival off Belle-Isle until the morning of the 20th, when 
at half-past eight, the French fleet hove in sight. A 
cold thick mist closed in the dreary horizon, and a 
strong gale came up from the north-west. Signal was 
made for the ships to form in line abreast, and soon 
afterwards, the haze clearing away, the French were 
discovered in precipitate flight. 

Hawke now ordered the seven nearest line-of-battle 
ships to make all sail in chase, and the gale still fresh- 
ening, the whole fleet was soon sweeping down upon 
the retreating foe with as much canvas as the masts 
could carry. Two hours after noon, the Warspite and 
the Dorsetshire came up with the French rear, and com- 
menced the action, and soon afterwards the deadly game 
was joined in by the Magnaniine, most gallantly fought 
by Lord Howe, the Bevenge, Torbay, and others of the 
English van. The 80-gun ship Formidable, bearing a 
rear-admiral's flag, was so closely prest by the English 
that it lost 200 men killed in about an hour, and at 
4 P.M., struck to the Besolution. Meanwhile the Mag- 
nanime having completely disabled the Thesee, fell upon 
the Heros, and compelled her to surrender. The Thesee, 
having fallen astern, B.ui[ig a dropping fire from its lower 
deck ports at the Torbay, as she came into action, but 
a sudden squall overtook her, her ports filled, and she 
sunk with a loss of 780 men out of a crew of 800. The 
Swperbe overset from a similar cause. 

Hawke had now come up in the Boyal George, and 
brought her heavy guns to bear upon the fortunes of the 
fight, but the weather grew so fearfully violent, and 
the chase had brought his fleet so near the French 
coast, that he signalled for his ships to anchor, dropping 
his own anchor in 15 fathoms water. Unfortunately 
the Besolution misunderstood the signal, and drifting 
ashore, became a total wreck. . . The next day the Heros 
and Soleil Boyal, the two prizes, were set on fire, and 
these, with the Su^erbe and Thesee, made up the list of 
the French losses in the action of the 20th November. 



REAR-ADMIRAL KEMPENFELBT. 141 

This was the only great sea-fight in which the Boyal 
George bore a part, though by successive admirals she 
was often selected as a flag ship. But it may be men- 
tioned as an interesting incident in her history that, 
in 1762-3, William Falconer, the poet of The SMpwrech, 
served on board of her as a midshipman. 

Early in 1762 she hoisted the flag of Eear-Admiral 
Kempenfeldt, a brave seaman and an experienced 
tactician, who was held, both at home and abroad, to 
be one of the best naval officers of his time. " He was 
the son of a Swedish gentleman who, coming early into 
the English service, generously followed the ruined 
fortunes of his master, James II., but who, after the 
death of that monarch, was recalled by Queen Anne, 
and who has been portrayed by Addison in his excellent 
sketch of Captain Sentry (in No. 2 of the Sjpedator)'' 
With a squadron of nine ships he joined the fleet under 
Admiral Lord Howe, despatched to convoy to Jamaica 
the great West Indian armada. This duty successfully 
performed. Lord Howe was ordered to take command of 
a vast expedition, then fitting out at Portsmouth, for 
the relief of Gibraltar, which was beleaguered by the 
combined French and Spanish fleets. 

The Boyal George was destined to bear Eear-Admiral 
Kempenfeldt's flag as third in command under Lord 
Howe. But as she was on the point of sailing — while 
she lay at Spithead- with her admiral, officers, and crew 
all on board, and only awaiting her final orders — a 
slight leak was discovered near the keel. It was 
deemed, however, of so little importance as to render 
unnecessary her return into Portsmouth Harbour to be 
docked, and the carpenters in order to repair it laid the 
vessel slightly on her side. So little risk was supposed 
to attend the operation that the officers and crew re- 
mained on board, and also that heterogeneous assemblage 
of wives, sweethearts, " bumboat women," and children 
which usually congregates on the decks of a vessel 
ordered on foreign service. 



142 LOSS OF THE "ROYAL GEORGE." 

It was on the morning of tlie 29th of August, when 
Kempenfeldt was writing in his cabin, and most of the 
crew and visitors were engaged between decks, that the 
work commenced. The carpenters, eager to get at the 
leak that the ship might not be detained at Spithead, 
appear, in their anxiety, to have laid her more on her 
broadside than was originally intended, or than her 
officers were aware of. About ten o'clock a sudden 
gale of wind arose in the north-west, threw the Boyal 
George upon her side, and her lower deck ports being 
open, she immediately filled with water, and in three 
minutes went down ! A victualler, which lay alongside, 
was swallowed up in the terrible vortex created by the 
sudden plunge of so huge a vessel, and several small craft, 
at a greater distance, were placed in imminent peril. 

The catastrophe was so sudden, so unexpected, so 
terrible, that those on shore who were accidentally spec- 
tators of it, could not for a space recover the power of 
action. Then, indeed, every boat and wherry at Ports- 
mouth put oif to the assistance of the drowning ; but as 
most of the crew and their friends were between decks 
when the disaster occurred, comparatively few were 
saved. Kempenfeldt himself was among those who 
perished. About 300 were rescued, chiefly sailors who 
could swim, or had been able to catch hold of a stout 
spar or plank, and among them were Lieutenant, after- 
wards Adaiiral Sir Philip Durham, and Captain Martin 
Waghorn. The number of those who were drowned or 
suffocated has been variously computed at between 700 
and 1000. The full complement of the Boyal George was 
nearly 900, and allowing 300 women, children, and other 
strangers to have been aboard her at the moment she 
went down, we may reasonably place the total loss at 
nearly 1000 souls ! 

A catastrophe so singular, arising from such an appa- 
rently trifling cause, involving so much misery, and 
lamentation over the numerous dead, and occurring in a 
secure roadstead — within sight of a populous and busy 



FORGOTTEN GRAVES. 143 

seaport — naturally excited considerable attention, and 
few events in our naval annals are better known than 
the *' Loss of the Boyal George.'' Some of her timbers 
drifted ashore, and from these a variety of relics was 
fjxshioned, whose rapid sale suggested to speculators a^ 
j)rofitable mode of business, not yet utterly extinct in 
the streets of Portsmouth. As many snuff-boxes, wooden 
cannons, card-cases, models, and other souvenirs have 
been sold with the guarantee that they were manu- 
factured from the wreck of the Boyal George as would 
provide timber for the construction of half a dozen of 
our largest men-of-war! Not long ago, in a shop in 
Portsmouth, we saw ticketed for sale as made from the 
aforesaid wreck a many-bladed knife of palpable Sheffield 
manufacture ! 

The visitor to Eyde, that charming seaside resort of 
*' fashion'' and *' gentility," invalids and yachtsmen, 
will doubtless be familiar with certain handsome streets 
of Tillas and cottages, opening upon the shore, known 
as " Dover Street" and " The Strand." These streets 
cover an area formerly occupied by marsh-plants and 
seaweeds, and known as *' the Duver," — that is, land 
once overflowed by the sea. Here were buried in large 
numbers the hapless dead, which the sea cast up from 
the wreck of the Boyal George. The grassy mounds 
which indicated their last resting-places were visible as 
late as 1804, when Sir Henry Englefield penned his 
elaborate account of the Isle of ^\'ight. Kot a trace, 
not a memorial of them now exists. The builders have 
made free havoc with the graves of the dead. Surely it 
would be a graceful act if the proper authorities raised 
in the neighbourhood of this desecrated '' Aceldama" 
some simple stone, or pillar, to record the great catas- 
trophe of August 29, 1782, and to consecrate the memory 
of its victims. 

From the position of the vast wreck of the Boyal George 
in the very midst of a much- frequented roadstead, 
great obstruction was caused to shipping, and several 



144 THE WEECK HEMOVED. 

accidents arose whicli attracted tlie attention of the 
Admiralty to the necessity of its removal. Certain 
attempts were made at intervals to effect this desirable 
object, but very little resulted from them. In the 
summer of 1839, however, Colonel (afterwards General) 
Pasley, an officer of great scientific attainments, under- 
took the task, and in the course of six seasons (1839- 
1844) completed it, — much to the renown of that 
famous corps, the Eoyal Sappers and Miners, by a de- 
tachment of whom his directions were courageously 
and perseveringly carried out. The divers were some- 
times 6 to 8 hours. a day under water, at a depth of from 
10 to 12 fathoms; and by long experience had learned so 
skilfully to economise time and save labour, that all sent 
up their bundles of staves, casks, or timber, " as closely 
packed together as a woodman would make up his 
faggots in the open air." In one haul a certain 
Corporal Jones sent up 58 such pieces lashed together, 
and a certain Corporal Harris 91. Ijarge copper 
cylinders were closely filled with gunpowder, and 
placed in suitable parts of the wreck. They were then 
connected by wires with a powerful Voltaic battery, 
which was fixed in a barge moored near the spot. The 
divers having retired, the battery was fired, and the 
explosion of the cylinders separated the timbers of the 
submerged vessel. In 1844 these operations were con- 
cluded; cannon having been recovered valued at 
upwards of 5,0 OOL, as well as a vast quantity of iron- 
work, planks, beams, spars, and general stores. 



146 



CHAPTER X. 

THE STORY OF THE *' BELLEROPHON." 

■^ [Time of Service : Eeign of George III. 
Strength, &c. : 74 guns, 1,901 tons ; a two-decker, 3rd rate.] 

" Blow, favouring gales, in her answering sails ! 
Blow steadily and fi-ee ! 
Eejoicing, strong, 
Singing a song, 
Her rigging and her spars among, 
And waft the vessel in pride along !" — C, Mackay, 

We shall commence our history of the Bellerophon when 
bearing the flag of Eear-Admiral Thomas Pasley in the 
Channel Fleet which Admiral Earl Howe commanded 
in 1794 * 

She was then a comparatively new ship : a fine two- 
decker, (third rate,) of 1,900 tons burthen, carrying 
74 gnns, and about 650 men. The British tars made 
sad havoc with her mythological name, but she was 
nevertheless very popular among them as the " Billy 
Euffian,'* and is celebrated in many of the old sea songs 
of the French Eevolutionary Yfar. That she deserved 
poetical panegyrics a brief epitome of her career will 
abundantly illustrate. 

At this time — Februaiy 1794, the second year of the 
great War with Eevolutionary France — there lay in 
the well-fortified harbour of Brest a powerful French 
fleet, under the command of Eear-Admiral Villaret- 
Joj^euse, a young chef de division of considerable merit* 
The British Channel Fleet, meanwhile, was anchored 

* In the previous year, however, she had been attached to the 
Channel Fleet, and well-handled by Captain Pasley, though not 
engaged in any general action. 



146 LORD HOWE'S FLEET. 

at Portsmoutli and Plymoutli, in readiness to put to sea 
the moment the departure of the hostile armament was 
ascertained. But as the spring advanced two important 
objects compelled the English Admiral to weigh 
anchor. One was to protect the Newfoundland and 
West India convoy, amounting to 100 sail, until clear 
of the Channel, the other, to intercept a Franco- 
American convoy of, it was said, 350 ships, returning 
to famishing France with provisions and stores ob- 
tained in North America and the V/est Indies. 

The West India convoy having assembled at St. 
Helen's, off the Isle of Wight, weighed anchor early on 
the 2nd of May, escorted by a fleet of 49 ships of war, of 
which 34 were ships of the line. On the 4th, Lord 
Howe and his valuable charge, — a complete naval and 
commercial armada, — arrived off the Lizard, and here 
the convoy parted company, and proceeded on its 
voyage escorted by a suitable force. The fleet under 
Lord Howe was therefore reduced to the following 
complement, which we give in extenso for the benefit of 
our young naval students : — 

Admiral Lord Howe's Fleet. 
Ships of the Line — 26. 

Queen Charlotte, 100 guns, Admiral Richard Earl Howe, Captains 
Sir Roger Curtis, and Sir A. Snape Douglas. Boyal George, 100, 
ViceAdmiral (Red) Sir Alex. Hood, K.B., Captain W. Domett. 
Boyal Sovereign, 100, Vice- Admiral (Red) Thomas Graves, Captain 
H. Nichols. Barfleur, 98, Rear- Admiral (White) G. Bowyer, Cap- 
tain C. CoUingwood. Impregnable, 98, Rear-Admiral (White) B. 
Caldwell, Captain G. B. Westcott. Queen, 98, Rear- Admiral (White) 
Alan Gardner, Captain J. Hutt. Glory, 98, Captain J. Elphinstone. 
Gibraltar, 80, Captain T. Mackenzie. Csesar, 80, Captain A. 
MoUoy. Seller oplion, 74, Rear-Admiral (White) T. Pasley, Captain 
W. Hope. Montagu, 74, Captain J. Montagu; Tremendous, 74, 
Captain J. Pigott. Valiant, 74, Captain T. Pringle. Bamillies, 74, 
Captain H. Harvey. Audacious, 74, Captain W. Parker. Bruns- 
wick, 74, Captain J. Harvey. Alfred, 74:, Captain Bazely. Defence, 
74, Captain S. Gambier. Leviathan, 74, Captain H. Seymour. Majestic, 
74, Captain C. Cotton. Invincible, 74, Captain Hon. T. Pakenham. 
Arion, 74, Captain S. T. Duckworth. Bussel, 74, Captain S. W. 



THE FRENCH FLEET. 147 

Payne. Marlborough, 74, Captain Hon. G. C. Berkeley. Thunderer, 
74, Captain A. Bertie. Culloden, 74, Captain Schomberg. 

• Frigates— 7. 

Phaeton, 38, Captain W. Bentinck. Latona, 38, Captain E. Tliom- 
borough. Niger, 32, Captain Hon. A. K. Legge. Southampton, 32, 
Captain Hon. K. Forbes. Venus, 32, Captain W. Brown. Aqullon, 
32, Captain Hon. K. Stopford. Pegasus, 28, Captain K. Barlow. 

[The British ships of the line (26 in number) mounted 1,087 
broad-side guns, which, threw a weight of metal equal to 22,976 lbs. 
Their crews may be computed at 17,421 men and boys. Tonnage, 
46,962.] 

Let us now look at the strength of the French fleet, 
with which Lord Howe was so soon to cope : — 

Feexch Fleet : txdeb M. Villaeet-Joyeuse. 

Ships of the Line— 26. 

Montague, 120, Rear-Admiral Yillaret-Joyeuse. Terrible, 110, 
Captain Longer. Revolutionnaire, 110, Captain Vandangel. Pifpub- 
licain, 110, Rear-Admiral Bouvet. Indomptable, 80, Captain Lamel. 
Jacobin, 80, Captain Gassin. Juste, SO, Captain Blavet. Sa'pion, 80, 
Captain Huguet. Achille, 74, Captain La Villegris. Amerique, 74, 
Captain L'Heritier. Conception, 74, Captain Allary. Entreprenant, 
74, Captain Le Franc. Eole, 74, Captain Keranguin. Gasparin, 74, 
Captain Tardy. Jemappes, 74, Captain Desmartis. Impetueux, 74, 
Captain Douville. Montagnard, 74, Captain Bompart. 3Iont Blanc, 
74, Captain Thevenard. Mucins, 74, Captain Larregny. Neptune, 
74, Captain Tiphaine. Northumberland, 74, Captain Etienne. Pelle- 
tier. Captain Berard. Tourville, 74, Captain Langlois.^ Tyrannicide, 
Captain Dordelin. VeJ^geur, 14:, Captain Eenaudin. ' Patriote, 74, 
Captain .... 

Frigates and coi-vettes — 16 in number. 

[The 26 French, ships of the line mounted 1,107 broadside ^uus, 
throwing a total weight of shot of 28,126 lbs. Their crews numbered 
19,989 men. Aggregate tonnage, 52,010. That is to say, the French 
had 20 broadside guns more th.an the English, tlu'owing heavier shot 
by no less than 5,150 lbs., and worked by 2,748 more men.] 

It was early on the morning of the 28th of May that 
these two great fleets came in sight of each other, the 
wind blowing freshly from the south-west, and the 
waters of the Channel rolling to and fro with an almost 

K 2 



H3 THE TWENTY-EIGHTH OP MAY, 

tempestuous motion. The crews on board Lord Howe's 
ships were mostly inexperienced recruits, but they 
possessed the true and steady courage of British sailors, 
and ardently longed for a brush with '' the Mounseers." 
A long series of successes had taught them the habit of 
victory, and hence they entered into battle with a 
confidence which was in itself a guarantee of triumph. 
Their leader, too, was a tried and able veteran — a man 
of seventy years, most of which had been passed on the 
seas, and in the service of his country. 

On the other hand, the French government had 
resorted to every artifice to raise the spirit and excite 
the courage of their sailors, and had placed in joint 
command with M.Villaret-Joyeuse, a conspicuous mem- 
ber of the National Convention, Citizen Jean Bon Saint • 
Andre, whose presence, it was supposed, would act as 
a surprising stimulus. *' Never before," according to a 
French writer, " did France send forth a fleet so for- 
midable and well-disciplined. Unanimity and dis- 
cipline reigned among officers and men ; and all burned 
with desire to fight the enemies of their country, and 
to pursue them to the very banks of the Thames, under 
the very walls of London." 

In obedience to a signal from th'e Admiral, the Belle- 
rophon, at a quarter past eight a.m. stood towards the 
French fleet to reconnoitre, and having discharged this 
duty, was ordered to shorten sail as the enemy's force 
developed itself. Together with the Bussel, Marl- 
borough, and Thunderer, she kept in advance of the main 
body of the fleet, which Lord Howe had formed in two 
columns, and about half-past one, got near enough to 
the foe to harass his rear with a quick and rattling fire. 
As the French seemed to dislike their reception, and 
gave indications of a desire to avoid an engagement. 
Lord Howe ordered a general chase, and signalled for 
each ship to engage the enemy on coming up with 
him. 

After various manoeuvres, whose detailed description 



GALLANT CONDUCT OF THE <* BELLEROPHON." 149 

would only interest a professional reader, tlie Bellero^hon, 
by skilfully tacking at the right moment, came up with 
the French 110-gnn ship, La Revolutionnaire, and despite 
the disparity of force, gallantly engaged her. She 
maintained the fight alone, for upwards of an hour and 
a quarter, until compelled, by the wounded state of her 
mainmast, to bear up. Her antagonist, having suffered 
even more severely from the Bellei'ojphon's steady fire, 
also put before the wind, but was grappled by the 
Leviathan, and engaged by her until the Audacious came 
up. Then, indeed, the fight grew warm. The Ait- 
dacioiis plied her great antagonist so hotly that she was 
glad to strike her colours, having lost 400 killed and 
wounded. But owing to the disabled state of the 
rigging of the English ship, which, however, had lost but 
3 killed and 19 wounded, she could not be taken pos- 
session of, and being relieved by the French frigate 
Audacieux, was towed into Eochefort. Night had now 
come on, and a thick rain increased the ocean- mists. 
The Audacious, unable to regain Lord Howe's fieet, 
ran for home, and r-eached Plymouth Sound in safety on 
the 3rd of June. 

Meanwhile, the Bellerophon and her consort had been 
recalled to the main body of the fleet, which, through 
the drear and misty night, with lights shimmering at 
every masthead, steered under press of sail, in close 
companionship with the enemy. He was discovered, 
when the morning dawned (29th May), about six miles 
off, and Lord Howe immediately manoeuvred to obtain 
the weather-gage. About 8 o'clock the British van, 
having hoisted the glorious red ensign, opened fire in 
passing upon the enemy's rear, and the French admiral 
bringing up the body of his fleet in support, several 
ships became closely engaged. 

Soon after noon Lord Howe, in the Queen Charlotte, 
finding that his van ship, the Ccesar, was inattentive to 
his repeated signals (" to engage, and cut through the 
enemy's line"), boldly stretched to windward of the 



150 THREE days' FIGHTING. 

culprit, and running the gauntlet of half a dozen of the 
French ships, fell upon the Eole, and giving her two 
heavy broadsides, broke through into the enemy's rear. 
In this daring movement she was immediately followed 
by the Bellerophon and the Leviathan, both ships sufifer- 
ing from a heavy fire as they passed through the line. 
A similar manoeuvre, however, on the part of the 
French admiral, and the want of support from the 
body of the British fleet, prevented Lord Howe from 
reaping much profit from his daring movements, and as 
it was impossible to bring M. Villaret-Joyeuse and 
Citizen Jean Bon Saint- Andre to a general engagement, 
the action of the 29th of May closed soon after five o'clock 
without any decisive results. In the day's skirmishing 
the British loss was 67 killed and 128 wounded, but the 
French suffered still more severely. It must, however, 
be mentioned to the discredit of several of the best ships 
in Lord Howe's fleet that they were manoeuvred badly 
and fought indifferently. Had all behaved like the 
flag-ship — the Belleroplion — the Queen — the Mussel — the 
Leviatlian, a heavy blow would have been dealt the 
enemy, and the victory of the 1st of June rendered 
more complete. 

The 30th passed in comparative inaction, owing to a 
heavy fog, but the ships of both fleets were occupied in 
repairing damages. M. Villaret-Joyeuse, moreover, was 
reinforced by several fresh ships of the line, the Trente- 
un-Mai, 74, the Sans-pareil, Trajan, and Temeraire, 
which took the places of the Montagnard, Indomptahle, 
Mont Blanc, and Bevolutionnaire, thus leaving the French 
admiral with 2G ships comparatively uninjured, to 
contend with the British, weakened by two days' 
fighting. 

The 31st was a day of manoeuvres, which prepared 
the way for the decisive action Lord Howe was resolved 
should illustrate the following day — the "glorious First 
of June " — the day famous for the first of the great naval 
victories of the French War. 



THE FIRST OF JUNE. 151 

" Howe made the Frenchmen dance a tune, 
An admiral great and glorious ; 
Witness for that the First of June, — 
Lord ! how he was victorious !" 

Or as a graver poet sings, — 

" When Howe, upon the First of June, met the Jacobins in fight. 
And witli Old England's loud huzzas broke down their godless 
might !" 

At daj^break, on the 1st of June, in lat. 47° 48' N. and 
long. 18° 30' W., "the wind a moderate breeze from 
south by west, and the sea tolerably smooth," the 
French were discovered about six miles to starboard 
of the British fleet, and steering in line of battle 
under heavy canvas. After the British crews had 
breakfasted, Lord Howe's fleet, about a quarter past 
eight, set all sail, and bore down on the enemy — signal 
flying for each ship to engage with any enemy's ship 
she fell across. The British force was thus arranged : — • 
Ccesar (van-ship), BelleropTiorij Leviathan, Mussel, Boyal 
Sovereign, Marlborough, Defence, Impregnable, Tremendous, 
Barfleur, Invincible, Culloden, Gibraltar, Queen Charlotte, 
Brunswick, Valiant, Orion, Queen, Bamillies, Alfred, Mon- 
tagu, Boyal George, Majestic, Glory, Thunderer = (25). 
These were formed in line abreast. The French were 
drawn up in close head-and-stern line, east to west; 
and were thus arrayed : — W. — Trajan, Bole, Amerigue^ 
Temeraire, Terrible, Imjoetueux, Mucins, Tourville, Gasjparin, 
Convention, Trente-un-Mai, Tyrannicide, Juste, Montagne, 
Jacobin, AcJiille, Vengeur, Batriote, Northumberland, Enire- 
prenant, Jemappes, Neptune, Belletier, Bepublicain, Sans- 
pareil, Scipion — E. = (26). The frigates attached to both 
fleets were stationed as usual in the rear. 

Lord Howe's design was, that each ship should cut 
through the French line astern of her opponent, and 
engage her to leeward, but the bad management of 
several of his captains prevented the complete success 
of this well-conceived manoeuvre. The Queen Charlotte, 
however, gallantly advanced *' to the fore;" was the 



152 OPENING OF THE BATTLE; 

first ship through, the enemy's line ; and after receiving 
and returning, en passant, the fire of the AcJiille and the 
Vengeur, swept close under the poop of the Montagne, 
and hurled a crashing broadside into her which shook 
her from stem to stern. The Jacobin had now got 
abreast of the Montagne to leeward — that is, in the very 
position Lord Howe had marked out for his own ship, — 
but by putting the helm of the Queen Charlotte hard 
a-starboard, he drove her in between the two French 
vessels, and fought them on each broadside with ad- 
mirable success. The Montagne, in less than an hour, 
lost upwards of 100 killed and 200 wounded, and not 
relishing so terriblD ''a pounding," both she and the 
Jacobin made sail, and shot ahead out of range of the 
Queen Charlotte's fatal fire. 

Meanwhile, where was our heroine, the Bellerophonf 
Not loth, we may be sure, to plunge into the thick of 
the fight. With the signal for close action flying at her 
mast- head, she ran down to the enemy's line, and opened 
her broadside upon the Eole as early as a quarter to nine ; 
receiving, as she fell upon her antagonist, the fire of 
the three headmost French vessels — the Trajan^ Eole, 
and Amerique, From want of adequate support she had 
to contend single-handed with both the Eole and the 
Trajan, but her crew were animated by a noble courage, 
and inspired by the example of their gallant chief, 
Eear-Admiral Pasley. At ten minutes to eleven, the 
Eear- Admiral lost his leg, and was removed below ; the 
command devolving upon Captain Hope, who carried 
on the contest with unflinching vigour. For three 
hours the hot fight lasted, and then the Eole made off 
as best she could, under shelter of the Trajan s fire. 
Still keeping up the battle with both opponents as ihej 
passed, she lost her main-topmast and fore-topmast, and 
at a little before noon, having suffered severely in the 
unequal contest, signalled for the Latona to come to her 
assistance. Of her crew four were killed, and 27 wounded 
during the four hours' fight. 



PROGRESS OF THE BATTLE. 153 

It is not our province, in these pages, to relate every 
movement of Lord Howe's fleet, and it will be enough 
to afford a brief general view of the different aspects of 
the battle. We take it from Mr. James's elaborate and 
impartial Naval History : — 

" Between a quarter and half-past 9 a.m., the French 
van opened its fire upon the British van. In about a 
quarter of an hour the fire of the French became gene- 
ral, and Lord Howe and his divisional flag-officers, 
bearing the signal for close action at their mast-heads, 
commenced a heavy fire in return. A few of the British 
ships cut through the French line, and engaged their 
opponents to leeward ; the remainder hauled up to 
windward, and opened their fire, some at a long, others 
at a shorter and more effectual distance. At 10 .10 a.m., 
when the action was at its height, the French admiral, 
in the Montague, made sail ahead, followed by his second 
astern, and afterwards by such other of his ships as, 
like the Montague, had suffered little in their rigging 
and sails. At about 11.30 a.m., the heat of the action 
was over, and the British were left with 11, the French 
with 12 more or less dismasted ships. None of the 
French ships had, at this time, struck their colours ; or, 
if they had struck, had since re-hoisted them : they, for 
the most part, were striving to escape, under a sprit- 
sail, or some small sail set on the tallest stump left to 
them, and continued to fire at every British ship that 
passed within gun-shot." 

The vessels which most distinguished themselves in 
this great victory were the Queen Charlotte, the Belle- 
ropJion, the Boyal Sovereign, the Queen, the Brunswick, 
the Marlborough, the Glory, and the Defence, The British 
loss amounted to 290 killed, and 858 woimded; including 
among the killed Captain Montagu ; and among the 
wounded. Admiral Bowyer, Bear- Admiral Pasley, Cap- 
tain Hutt (who lost a leg), and Captain John Harvey " 
(mortally), with the loss of an arm. 

The total loss of the French in killed, wounded, and 



154 VICTORY OF THE BRITISH. 

prisoners is computed at 7,000. Six ships of the line 
were captured — the Sans-Pareily Juste, Amerique, Impe- 
tueux, Nortliumherland, and Achille, and one sunk — the 
Vengeur, On board the six prizes 690 were killed, and 
580 wounded. 

Having refitted his own ships, and put into as sea- 
worthy a condition as might be, his six prizes, — a task 
which was not completed until the morning of the 3rd 
of June, — Lord Howe made all sail for the north-east, 
and at 11 a.m. on the 13th, anchored in triumph at Spit- 
head. The veteran wamor was received with a national 
welcome; visited on board the Queen Charlotte by the 
royal family ; and loaded with honours by a grateful 
country. Kear- Admiral Pasley, of the Bellerophon, was 
created a baronet, and received a yearly pension of 
1,000Z. in consideration of his wounds. The services 
of Eear- Admiral Bowyer were recognized in a similar 
manner, and baronetcies were also conferred upon Rear- 
Admirals Gardner and Curtis. Vice-Admiral Graves 
was created Lord Graves, and Vice-Admiral Sir Alex- 
ander Hood Viscount Bridport. The moral effect of 
Lord Howe's victory was important. It inspirited the 
nation to persevere in the great struggle it had com- 
menced, and taught British seamen confidence in their 
own invincibility which induced them, on any occa- 
sion, to attack with all the energy of success a largely 
superior force. Finally, the " First of June " was the 
first of those great naval victories which illustrated our 
annals during the Eevolutionary War, and culminated 
at Trafalgar in the establishment of the supremacy of 
England "at sea." 

Several interesting anecdotes of the " First of June " 
have been preserved by Sir John Barrow, in his Life 
of Earl Howe, and by other writers. While the Marl- 
borough was hotly engaged with the Imjoetueux, one of 
her seamen boldly leaped on board the latter to ''pay 
the Mounseers a visit," and when asked to take a sword 



A BUDGET OP ANECDOTES. 155 

for liis defence, replied, *' I'll find one where I am 
going." He fulfilled his promise, for he returned in 
safety with two French cutlasses in his hand. 

" A cock released from its coop by a stray shot, perched, 
in the heat of the action and when the hearts of the 
men were failing, on the stump of the mainmast, flap- 
ping his wings and crowing loudly — much to the en- 
couragement of the seamen, who, with three ringing 
cheers, regarded it as an omen of victory, and fought 
with renewed vigour." 

Captain Harvey, of the Brunswick, displayed through- 
out the engagement a heroism worthy of a British sea- 
man. Knocked down by a splinter, and seriously in- 
jured, he leaped again to his feet, and refused to quit 
the deck. A chain-shot afterwards shattered his right 
arm, but as he was removed below, he cried out to his 
men, — " Persevere, my brave lads, in your duty. Con- 
tinue the action w4th spirit, for the honour of our king 
and country ; and remember my last words — the 
colours of the Brunswick shall never be struck !" The 
figure-head of this well-fought ship represented the 
Duke of Brunswick, wearing a regulation "cocked hat." 
In the action, it was carried off by a chance shot. The 
crew immediately went aft, and petitioned the captain 
to give them another " out of respect to the Duke," and 
receiving one of his own cocked hats, they persuaded 
the carpenter to nail it on the vacant figure-head, where 
it remained throughout the engagement. 

A young midshipman serving on board the Queen 
Charlotte --Jjord Howe's own flag-ship — was placed in a 
position of so much danger that the admiral, out of 
compassion for his extreme youth, commanded him to 
descend between decks. The young hero looked up in 
his chiefs face, with all the modesty of true courage, 
and respectfully replied, *' What, my lord, would my 
father say were I not on deck during the action ?" 

After the fight was done, and the victory assured, the 
seamen of the Charlotte requested the admiral to permit 



166 THE " BELLEHOPHON " AT TRAFALGAR. 

them to thank him for having led them to so glorious a 
triumph. He received them on the quarter-deck ; but 
in reply to their hearty congratulations, his feelings 
would only suffer him to falter — '' No, no, I — J thank 
you, my lads; it is you, not I, that have conquered." 

The Bellerophon,^' under Captain Cooke, was engaged 
in the great battle off Cape Trafalgar, of which in a 
succeeding chapter we shall furnish a full account. 
She formed one of the lee division, led by the gallant 
Collingwood, and early in the contest found herself 
engaging both the Spanish Monarca, 74 guns, and the 
French Aigle, also a 74. Seeing her thus embarrassed, 
the French Sioiftsure, the Montanez, and Bahama also 
brought their guns to bear upon her, and to so terrible a 
cannonade was she exposed that in ten minutes' time both 
her main and mizen topmasts fell over her starboard 
side, setting her sails on iire from the explosion of her 
guns, and the flashes of the hand-grenades hurled from 
th.QAigle's tops. At 5 minutes past 1, or a quarter of an 
hour after discharging her first broadside, her master was 
killed ; and at 11 minutes past 1, her gallant commander. 
Captain Cooke. The command was then assumed by 
Lieutenant Pryce Carnby, who fought her with deter- 
mined courage. The Colossus now came up, and drew 
off the fire of the French Siciftsure and the Bahama, 
while the Montanez dropped astern out of range. A 
furious attempt was made by the crew of the Aigle to 
board her ; but though her decks were strewn with the 
dead and dying, the men of the Bellerophon soon repulsed 
the audacious boarders; and at 40 minutes past 1, the 
Aigle, having had enough of it, sheered off from her 
staunch opponent, receiving, as she dropped astern, a 
parting broadside both from her and from the Bevenge. 

* The Belleroplion also shared in the victory of the Nile, of which 
an account will be found in Chapter xii., and was one of the sliips 
hi Vice- Admiral Cornwallis's small squadron which, in June 1795, 
made so masterly a retreat before a largely superior French force, 
reaching port uninjured. 



ABDICATION OF NAPOLEON I. 157 

The Belleroplion now flung a few scattered shot into 
the Monarca^ which, deprived of her consorts, instantly 
hauled down her colours, and was taken possession of. 
Her loss was found to have been very severe. The 
BeUeroplio7i herself had 27 killed, and 123 wounded. 
''A great proj)ortion of this heavy loss unquestionably 
arose from the explosion of a quantity of loose powder 
spilt about the decks from the cartridges ; and which, 
but for the water that lay around the entrance of the 
magazine, must have destroyed the ship and all on 
board of her." Her main and mizen topmasts were 
shot away ; her foretopmast, all three lower masts, and 
most of her yards, badly wounded ; her hull was much 
injured ; and her rigging nearly cut to pieces. 

In July 1815, the Bellerophon, under Captain Frede- 
rick Lewis Maitland, was cruising in the Basque Eoads. 
Fortune had reserved for her an event which has done 
more to make her name historic than even her glorious 
share in the victories of the 1st of June and Trafalgar. ' 

After Napoleon's second abdication of the throne of 
France, the provisional government which, for a time, 
directed the affairs of the empire, thought it advisable 
that the fallen "potentate should withdraw from Paris, 
where his presence stimulated new intrigues and threat- 
ened fresh convulsions. He accordingly retired, on the 
25th of June, to Malmaison, and finding that all hope 
of regaining his lost power had vanished, he deter- 
mined on Tepairing from thence to Eochfort, with the 
intention of sailing for the United States of America. 
He left Malmaison on the 29th of June, accompanied 
by Generals Montholon, Eesigny, Planat, and the two 
Las Casas, and arrived at Eochfort on the 3rd of July. 
The next day he was joined there by his brother 
Joseph. On the 8th, he embarked, and reached the 
island of Aix, but as the Bellero^lion was lying in the 
Basque Eoads, he deemed it advisable to send Las 
Casas and Savary on board of her, to ascertain whether 



158 HIS LETTER TO THE PRINCE REGENT. 

her captain had received any orders to oppose his pas- 
sage. Captain Haitian d, as yet, had received no in- 
structions from the British Government, and he accord- 
ingly contented himself with replying that he would 
refer the Emperor's inquiry to the Admiral in command 
on that station. On the 14th, Napoleon w^as still at 
Aix, and having received no further communication, he 
again despatched Las Casas, accompanied by Lalle- 
mand, to the commander of the Belleroplion, Captain 
Maitland could but repeat his former answer, offering, 
at the same time, to receive the Emperor on board his 
vessel, and convey him to England, assuring him that 
the safety of his person would be carefully considered. 

Napoleon, indeed, had no other alternative. Before 
him was a powerful man-of-war, with which he could 
not hope to contend, nor whose watchfulness could he 
expect to elude. Behind him was the land of France, 
which the return of the Bourbons and the presence of 
the Allied armies rendered no secure asylum. He 
resolved, therefore, to confide himself to the custody of 
Captain Maitland, and addressed the following letter 
to the Prince Eegent, invoking the protection of Eng- 
land : — 

*' EoYAL Highness. — 

" Exposed to the factions which divide my country, 
and to the hostility of the greatest powers of Europe, I 
have closed my political career. I come, like Themis- 
tocles, to seek the hospitality of the British Nation. I 
place myself under the protection of their laws, which 
I claim from your Eoyal Highness, as the most power- 
ful, the most constant, and the most generous of my 
enemies. 

(Signed) *' Napoleon." 

This epistle was placed in Captain Maitland's hands 
by Generals Las Casas and Gourgaud, and on the fol- 
lowing morning, the 15th of July, at daybreak, the 



EMBARKS ON BOARD THE *' BELLEROPHON." 1 50 

brig Epenier convc^'ed the hero of a hundred fields on 
board of the Bellerojplion. As he placed his foot upon 
her deck, he said to her captain, — " I come on board 
yonr ship to place myself under the protection of the 
laws of England." He was immediatel}" conducted to 
his cabin, with every respectful ceremonial, and the 
BeUerophon then bore up to communicate with the 
Admiral, the gallant Hotham. The Admiral, next day, 
conducted his illustrious prisoner over his own flag- 
ship, the Superb, and displayed so much tact and cour- 
tesy throughout the interview as to win from Las 
Casas, in his narrative, the candid eulogium that he 
evinced *' all the grace and refinement of a man of rank 
and education." The Emperor then returned to the 
Belleroplion, which immediately set sail for England. 

On board the English man-of-war Napoleon showed 
himself specially anxious to secure the good will and es- 
teem of his involuntary captors. He treated the officers 
wdth marked courtesy, and frequently jested and con- 
versed wdth the men in that attractive and persuasive 
manner which he could easily assume when needed. 
He inquired much about the different details of the 
ship, and often discussed English manners and customs, 
the events of the war, and the characters of the leading 
European potentates. It is not to be wondered at that 
the glamour of his comprehensive ! genius and the 
splendour of his fame should have exercised a powerful 
influence upon those with whom he came in such im- 
mediate contact. " He had not been long," says Las 
Casas, " among his most inveterate enemies, those who 
had been continually nourished with rumours no less 
absurd than irritating, before he acquired all the influ- 
ence over them which belongs to glory. The captain, 
officers, and crew soon adopted the etiquette of his 
suite, showing him exactly the same attention and 
respect ; the captain addressed him either as Sire, or 
Your Majesty ; when he appeared on deck, every one 
took off his hat, and remained uncovered while he was 



160 ARRIYES IN PLYMOUTH SOUND. 

present. This was not the case at first. There was no 
entering his cabin, except by passing the attendants; 
no persons but those who were invited appeared at his 
table. Kapoleon was, in fact. Emperor on board the 
Bellero]phonr 

He arrived at Torbay on the 24:th of July, and 
Captain Maitland despatched a messenger for instructions 
■to the commander-in-chief, Lord Keith, who desired 
him to repair without delay to Plymouth. 

The BelleropJion anchored in the Sound on the 26th ; 
and the news that she brought to the shores of England 
their most pov/erful and dangerous enemy, having 
rapidly spread abroad, the beautiful expanse of that 
famous harbour was soon alive with crowded boats, and 
thousands hastened to gaze — not with unseemly ex- 
ultation, but with respectful curiosity — on the fallen 
conqueror, who, for fifteen years, had been the virtual 
ruler of trembling Europe. 

" The Desolator desolate ! 
The Victor overthi'own ! 
The Arbiter of others' fate 
A Suppliant for his own !" 

The British government, now responsible to its allies 
for the safety of their great enemy, found it necessary 
to place a cordon of armed boats around the Belleroplion 
to prevent the development of any fresh intrigue. 
Meanwhile, they entered into communications with the 
European Powers, by which it was finally determined 
that the Hero of Austerlitz should be retained in safe 
custody by the British government, in some colonial 
possession which should offer a secure asylum, and 
preclude all hope of escape. The Island of St. Helena, 
a breezy healthy rock in the Atlantic Ocean, was, there- 
fore, selected as Napoleon's place of confinement, that 
he might never again disturb the peace of Europe by 
the daring conceptions of his vast and insatiable am- 
bition. 

It was late in the month of July when Sir Charles 



napoleon's protest. 161 

Bunbuiy, as ilie representative of the English govern- 
ment, appeared on board the Bellerojphon, and annonnced 
to Napoleon the decision of the Allies. The fallen 
conqueror burst out in a torrent of indignation, — '' I 
am the guest of England, and not her prisoner : I came 
of my o^\Tl accord to place myself under the protection 
of her laws ; the most sacred rites of hospitality are 
violated in my person. I will never ^^luntarily accede 
to the outrage inflicted upon me : violence alone shall 
compel me to do so." But what right had the despot, 
w^ho, in his flush of power, had trampled dow^n without 
scruple the rights of humanity and the obligations of 
honour, to appeal to the protection of laws which he 
had never ceased to violate ? Or how could he expect 
that the English government would again cast abroad 
upon society the firebrand which had scathed all 
Europe with the blackness of desolation ? 

The Bellero^lion left Plymouth on the 4th of August, 
and sailed up the Channel to transfer her illustrious 
prisoner on board the NortJinmherland, the man-of-w^ar 
appointed to convey him to the Atlantic isle. Ere he 
quitted her, he addressed the following Protest to the 
British government : — 

*' Protest. 

*' I hereby solemnly protest, in the face of heaven and 
mankind, against the violence that is done me ; against the 
violation of my most sacred rights, in forcibly disposing 
of my person and liberty. I voluntarily came on board 
the Bellerophon ; I am not the prisoner, I am the guest 
of England. I came at the instigation of the Captain 
himself, who said he had orders from the Government 
to receive and convey me to England, together with my 
suite, if agreeable to me.* 

** I came forward w^ith confidence to place m^'self 
under the protection of the laws of England, \\hen 

* It is almost unnecessary to say that this is not a correct version 
of the facts, 

L 



162 napoleon's protest. 

once on board the Bellerojyhon, I was entitled to the 
hospitality of the Britifeh people. If the Government, 
in giving the captain of the jBeZZerop/zo^i orders to receive 
me and my followers, only wished to lay a snare, it has 
forfeited its honour and disgraced its flag. 

*' If this act be consummated it will be in vain for 
the English henceforth to talk of their sincerity, their 
laws, and liberties. British faith will have been lost in 
the hospitality of the Bellerophon. 

'^ I appeal to history : it will say that an enemy who 
made war for twenty years against the English people 
came spontaneously, in the hour of misfortune, to seek 
an asylum under their laws. What more striking proof 
could he give of his esteem and confidence ? But how 
did England reply to such an act of magnanimity ? It 
pretended to hold out a hospitable hand to its enemy ; 
and, on giving himself up with confidence, he was 
immolated ! 

(Signed) ** Napoleon." 

" BelleropTion at Sea, 
Friday, August 4tb, 1815." 

Napoleon quitted the BelleropliGn on the 7th of August, 
and was conveyed on board the NGrtJiumberland, which 
bore the flag of Admiral Sir George Cockburn. On the 
11th, the NortJiiimherland got clear of the Channel, and 
on the 15th of October, anchored in the roads of 
St, Helena. 



163 



CHAPTER XL 

THE STORY OF THE " QUEEN CHARLOTTE." 

[Period of Service : Eeign of George III. 
^Strength : 100 gaus, 2,281 tons, 851 men.] 

" Howe made the Frenchmen dance a tune, 
An admiral great and glorious ; 
Witness for that the First of June — 

Lord ! how he was victorious !" — Charles Dihdin. 

At the outbreak of the war between England and Eevo- 
lutionaiy France, in 1793, the gallant veteran. Admiral 
Lord Howe, was appointed to the command-in- chief of 
the Channel fleet, and on the 14th of July set sail from 
St. Helen's with fifteen sail of the line, besides a few 
frigates and sloops; On the 2ord he anchored in Tor- 
■ bay ; but receiving information that a French fleet of 
seventeen sail of the line had put to sea, and had been 
descried off Belle Isle, Lord Ho\ve again made sail on 
the 25th, and having received a reinforcement of two 
sail of the line proceeded in search of the enemy. But 
a succession of adverse gales compelled him to desist 
from the pursuit, and after an ineffectual attempt to re- 
connoitre Brest, he returned to his anchorage in Torbay. 
On the 23rd, Lord Howe's fleet again weighed, and 
sailed to the westward, under orders to escort the New- 
foundland ships out of the narrow seas, and to protect 
the homeward-bound West India convoy, which was 
daily expected. These objects accomplished, the admi- 
ral cruised for nearly a fortnight to the north-west of 
the Scilly Isles, and then re- anchored in Torbay. On 
the 27th of October he once more put to sea, to cruise 
in the Bay of Biscay, his flag flying in the noble 100-gun 

L 2 



164 A PURSUIT. 

sTiip, the Queen Charlotte, and his fleet augmented to 
twenty -two sail of the line, besides frigates. 

On the 18th of November he came in sight of a 
French squadron of six 74-giin ships and two frigates, 
under Rear- Admiral Vanstabel, on a cruise in Cancale 
Bay. Vanstabel probably mistook the English fleet for 
a convoy of wealthy merchantmen, and bore down upon 
them under a press of sail, until their hulls could be 
plainly seen from the decks of the British ships. Five 
of the latter, in obedience to the commander-in-chief's 
signal, now made sail in pursuit ; and the French, dis- 
covering the formidable character of their expected 
prize, crowded on all the canvas their masts would bear 
in order to effect their escape. The whole British fleet 
now joined in the pursuit ; but the advantage of the 
wind was with their enemy, and Lord Howe finding the 
chase ineffectual, and that many of his ships had carried 
away important spars, bore up for the Channel. Here 
he continued to cruise until towards the middle of De^ 
cember, when, neither French fleet nor squadron making 
its appearance, he returned to Spithead. 

During the winter months Lord Howe's fleet received 
considerable reinforcements, and having been thoroughly 
repaired and refitted, was ready for service early in the 
spring, or as soon as it might be ascertained that the 
enemy had put to sea. For the latter, however, the 
admiral found himself unable to wait, as the East and 
West India outward-bound merchantmen and the New- 
foundland traders required his protection until they got 
clear of the Channel, and information was received of a 
valuable French convoy of (it was said) 350 sail, laden 
with American produce and provisions, intended for the 
French ports, and then on its homeward route, which 
he was directed, if possible, to intercept. 

Accordingly, on the 2nd of May 1794, with a fleet of 
34 ships of the line and 15 frigates, having under his 
protection about 100 richly-burdened traders, the veteran 
admiral set sail from St. Helen's, his flag still flying on 



THE ENEMY IN SIGHT. 165 

board the Queen Charlotte. On the 4th, when off the 
Lizard, he dismissed the merchantmen on their different 
routes, detaching Rear-Admiral Montagu, with six 74's 
and two frigates, to escort them as far as Cape Finis- 
terre ; and Captain Eainier, with a 74, a 64, and five 
frigates, to protect them for the remainder of their 
voyage. 

Lord Howe's fleet was thus reduced to twenty-six sail 
of the line and seven frigates, besides two fireships, a 
sloop, and two cutters ; and with this still imposing 
force he made for his old cruising ground between 
Ushant and Brest Harbour. His reconnoitring frigates 
discovered the enemy at anchor in Brest Roads, and in 
order to entice him from his security Howe made sail at 
once for the latitude in which it was probable the great 
American convoy would be met with. He rightly con- 
cluded that the French admiral would endeavour to 
prevent a prize so valuable from quietly slipping into 
his grasp. But having, for several days, covered the 
Bay of Biscay with his ships, without descrying a hos- 
tile sail, he returned on the 19th off Ushant, and once 
more sent out his frigates to observe the enemy's posi- 
tion. The roadstead was found empty, and intelligence 
was obtained that the French fleet had escaped from 
Brest some days before. 

It was, indeed, on the 16th of May that the "grand 
fleet of France," consisting of 26 ships of the line, 
and 16 frigates and corvettes, under the joint com- 
mand of Rear-Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse and the fierce 
Republican deputy. Citizen Jean-Bon Saint Andre, had 
made all sail from Brest, with a fair wind from the 
north-east filling its canvas. On the 17th, during a 
thick fog, it came so near the track of the English fleet 
that the clashing bells and rolling drums of the latter 
were distinctly heard, but on the morrow the two 
enemies were so wide apart that not a sail could be dis- 
covered. 

The further movements of the two fleets will hardly 



166 *^ PREPARE FOE BATTLE.^* 

interest our readers, tintil the pursuers and the pursued 
draw near together. It was not, however, until the 
28th, at about half-past six in the morning, the wind 
coming np freshly from the south-west, and a heavy 
swell cresting the waves with foam, that Lord Howe's 
look-out frigates came in sight of Villaret-Joyeuse and 
Citizen Jean-Bon Saint Andre. At about nine, the hos- 
tile fleet was seen, with topgallants set, gallantly bear- 
ing down upon the British, and Lord Howe accox"dingly 
made the signal so dear to British tars — *' Prepare for 
battle," and recalled his reconnoitring frigates. One 
hour later, and the French fleet, consisting of 26 sail 
of the line and 5 frigates, having approached within 
three leagues of its enemy, '' hauled to the wind on the 
larboard tack, and lay to," after which they formed " an 
indifferent line ahead." The British fleet now wore 
round in succession, and gathering in two columns, with 
four line-of-battle ships ahead as a flying squadron, 
made all sail to windward, eager to grapple with their 
antagonists. 

Some movements among the French vessels inducing 
Lord Howe to apprehend that they declined an engage- 
ment, he threw out the signal for a general chase, and 
for the British to engage the enemy as they came 
up with him. The first five was exchanged between the 
Bellerojphon and the Bevolutionnaire (110 guns) at six 
P.M., and about twenty minutes later the MarlhGrougJi, 
Mussel, and Thunderer mingled in the strife. 

The further movements of both fleets we have 
sketched in our narrative of the Bellerophon, and we 
may here confine ourselves to a statement of the doings 
of the Queen Cliarloite. She bore no very conspicuous 
part in^the actions of the 28th and 29th, though, of 
course, her signals directed the operations and con- 
trolled the manoeuvres of the British fleet. On the 
30th the ships of both fleets were occupied in repairing 
damages. The 31st was a day of manoeuvres, it being 
Lord Howe's object to prevent the French from wea- 



THE FIRST OF JUNE. 1G7 

tliering him, and so effecting tlieir escape; and during 
the night every British ship carried a press of sail in 
order to keep up with the fue. At daybreak, on the 1st 
of June, — the "glorious First of June," — the sea was 
rolling with a gentle swell, and the wind came up from 
the south-west with a moderate breeze ; and the French 
fleet was discovered, with all canvas set, in lat. 47'^ 
48' N., and longitude 18^ 30' W., at about two leagues 
on the starboard bow. From the Queen Charloite it soon 
became easy to examine the French line of battle, 
formed of 26 men-of-war, — 13 ahead, and 12 astern 
of the French admiral, — and 6 frigates and corvettes. 
At about a quarter past seven, Lord Howe made signal 
that he should attack the centre of the enemy, and ten 
minutes later, that he should break through his line and 
engage him to leeward. He then hove-to, and allov/ed 
his crews to breakfast, and at twelve minutes past eight 
filled and bore down on the enemy, — each ship, by signal, 
steering for the vessel opposed to her in the French 
line, which she was independently to engage. 

It was Lord Howe's intention that each of his ships 
should break through the French ranks astern of her 
opponent, wear, and engage her to leeward; but the 
complete success of his well-conceived plan was defeated 
by the misconduct of some of his captains, and the same 
cause interfered to prevent his victory from assuming its 
full proportions. 

At half-jDast nine the Queen Charlotte, with the signal 
for close action flying at her masthead, was so near the 
enemy that the Vengeur, the third ship in the French 
admiral's rear, opened fire upon her. She passed it un- 
noticed, for the veteran Howe's design was to be first to 
break the hostile line, and to expedite her progress the 
Queeji Charlotte set topgallant sails, let fall her foresail, 
and with a rush and a surge swept through the boimd- 
ing billows. Thus she broke away from the Vengeur, 
exchanged broadsides with the Achille, and passing close 
under the stern of the Montagne, a 120-gun ship, crashed 



168 PROGRESS OF THE FiaHT. 

into lier sides a terrific broadside, wliicli made her reel 
from stem to stern. The Jacobin (80) had now got nearly 
abreast of her comrade, the Montague, to leeward, — that 
is, in the very position Lord Howe had marked out for 
the Queen Charlotte, — but a dexterous movement, sug- 
gested by Mr. Bowen, the master, drove her in between 
the two French line-of-battle ships, fighting one with 
her larboard and the other with her starboard guns. In 
about twenty minutes the Jacobin gladly dropped astern, 
flinging a few shot at the Britiish admiral with such 
guns as she could bring to bear, while the Montague, 
having received a fearful *' punishment," losing not less 
than 100 killed and 200 wounded, made what sail she 
could to escape from the feu d'eufer that hurtled over 
her. 

The example of the French admiral was not lost 
upon his ships, and several made ready to effect their 
escape ; whereupon Lord Howe, at lOh. 13m. a.m., 
threw out the signal for a general chase, while he now 
directed his resistless broadsides upon the 80.gun ship, 
La Juste. The latter lost all her masts, and soon after- 
wards the Queen Charlotte dropped her maintopmast, 
» which, with the shattered state of her spars and rigging, 
rendered her almost unmanageable. Having silenced the 
Juste, however, she contrived to wear, and proceeded to 
the relief of the Queen, which was menaced by the ap- 
proach of the French admiral, and eleven fresh line-of- 
battle ships in his wake, and had already suffered 
severely in the fierce fight. The Barfleur, Leviathan, 
Valiant, Thunderer, and Boyal Sovereign came up, by sig- 
nal, to her rescue, and Villaret-Joyeuse, imwilling to 
cope with such an accession of force, stretched away to 
protect five of his own disabled vessels towing towards 
him in the east, and which, but for neglect of duty on 
the part of some of the British captains, ought long ago 
to have been taken possession of as prizes. These— the 
Bepublicain, Mucius, Scipion, Terrible, and Jemajp;pes, — the 
French chief succeeded in recovering. 



ITS RESULTS. 169 

The result of the action, indecisive as it may be con- 
sidered, could not but add to the glory of the British navy, 
and to the claims which the veteran Howe's long and 
gallant career already advanced to the gratitude of his 
country. Six French line-of- battle ships were captured, 
— La Juste, VAmerique, Le Sans-Pareil, L'Impetueux, Le 
Northumberland, and L'Achille, — and a seventh was so ter- 
ribly shattered {Le Vengeur) that about ten minutes 
after she had been taken possession of she went down, 
with upwards of 200 of her crew on board. But had 
Lord Howe been equally well supported by all his cap- 
tains ; had every ship imitated the example so nobly set 
by the Queen Charlotte, and so brilliantly followed by 
the Queen, the Royal Sovereign, the Bellerojphon, the Marl- 
horough, and the Defence ; not less than twelve or thir- 
teen trophies would have attested the completeness of 
the victory of the glorious First of June. 

Villaret-Joyeuse and Citizen Jean-Bon Saint Andre 
having effected their escape, leaving six men-of-war in 
the hands of their victorious opponents, Lord Howe re- 
paired his crippled. ships and refitted his prizes, and on 
the 3rd made sail for the north-east. The Queen OAar- 
Zo/^e anchored at Spithead on the morning of the 13th. 
On his arrival the gallant septuagenarian — who, to the 
experience of age, proved, on the 1st of June, that he 
added the fire of youth, — was received with such a wel- 
come as enthusiastic England, when in earnest, knows 
so well how to give her heroes ! On the 26th of the 
month the royal family visited Portsmouth, and the 
king went aboard the Queen Charlotte, accompanied by 
the sovereign lady after whom the vessel was named, 
and by a brilliant suite. There he held a levee, and 
presented the veteran chief with a diamond-hilted sword, 
valued at 3000 guineas, and threw a costly chain upon 
his shouldeis. The royal visitors afterwards partook of 
dinner in the admiral's state-room, and returned to Ports- 
mouth in the evening. 

Medals were struck to celebrate this important victory, 



170 HIDING THROUGH A GALE. 

but some of Lord Howe's ships were not considered to 
deserve the recognition. The vessels thus marked with 
dishonour were the Ccesar, Impregnahle, Tremendous, 
Culloden, Gibraltar, Alfred, 3Iajestic, and TJmnderer. We 
have else^vhere alhided to the rewards which a grateful 
nation poured out upon those who had done their duty. 

On the 7th of September, Lord Howe, in the Queen 
Charlotte, having repaired his damages and made up his 
crew to the full complement, set sail from Torbay with a 
fleet of 34 sail of the line, and cruised along the French 
coast, and off Ushant. He then stood down Channel to 
afford protection to the homeward bound convoys, and 
cruised for about eight da3^s " with pleasant easterly 
weather." Then a strong breeze sprang up from the 
south-west, and, veering to the north-west, increased to 
a terrible gale. Howe was neither daunted by hurri- 
canes nor French broadsides, and persevered in riding 
through the storm, although his ships were compelled 
to lie to with almost bare poles. But the damages 
suffered by some of the men-of-war compelled him at 
last to return to Torbay (on the 21st), whence he did 
not again sail until the first week in November. For 
the remainder of the year, with occasional visits to a 
British port, the Queen Cliarlotte and her consort cruised 
in the Channel and the Bay of Biscay ; much to the 
discomfiture of the French fleet, which durst not venture 
from under the guns of the batteries of Brest. 

On the 14th of February 1795, Lord Howe, suffering 
neither age nor sickness to damp his zeal in his country's 
service, again hoisted his flag on board the Queen 
Charlotte, and put to sea with a formidable armada of 
not less than 42 sail of the line, and nearly as many 
sloops, corvettes, and frigates. Having convoj^ed the 
East and West India merchantmen out of the Channel, 
and dismissed the squadrons designed to escort them to 
their respective destinations, the admiral returned to 
Spithead. Soon afterwards, his illness having assumed 
a serious character, the veteran hero hauled down his 



OFF BKLLE-lSLi:. 171 

stainless flag, and Lord Biidport was appointed to the 
command-in- chief of tlie Channel fleet, selecting for his 
flag-ship the noble lOO-gnn ship Boyal George. The 
Queen Charlotte, however, still formed a portion of the 
fleet, under Captain Sir Andrew Snape Douglas. 

Lord Bridport sailed from Spithead on the 12th of 
June, and having escorted for some days an expedition 
inider Sir John Borlase Warren, destined for Quiberon 
Bay, stood off Belle-Isle to intercept the Brest fleet. 
On the 22nd he came in sight of the enemy, consisting 
of 12 sail of the line and 14 frigates, distant about four- 
teen leagues from Belle-Lsle. Lord Bridport's own force 
consisted of 14 sail of the lino, five frigates, and a 20-gun 
ship. 

Perceiving that the French admiral — our old friend 
Villaret-Joyeuse — had an insuperable objection to a 
close engagement, and was edging off the wind. Lord 
Bridport, at half -past six in the morning, ordered his 
fastest sailers (the Sans-Tareil^ Colossus, Irresistible, Orion, 
Mussel, and Valiant) to chase, and a few minutes later 
the whole fleet crowded on all sail in pursuit. They 
soon gained upon the French, and though retarded 
during the night by a calm, were within three miles of 
the four rearmost ships of the enemy at daybreak on 
the 23rd. 

Li advance of the whole British line was the Queen 
Charlotte, having been most admirably handled by her 
gallant captain. The Irresistible was within hail, and 
four other line-of-battle ships at some distance astern. 
At about six in the morning, the Irresistible and the 
Orion opened fire upon the sluggish Alexandre, while the 
Queen Charlotte, as if still inspired with the ardour of 
the veteran Howe, swept majestically onwards, and at 
about a quarter past six sent her broadsides crashing 
in among the spars and rigging, and tearing up tlio 
decks of the French 7 4- gun i<h\i:) Formidable. The Sans- 
Pareil came up in fifteen minutes, and also directed 
her guns against her ; but she was already so shattered 



172 LORD BRIDPORT's WANT OF ENERGY. 

by the destruotive cannonade of the English three- 
decker that she was glad to strike her colours and 
surrender. 

The action now became more general, but much of 
the fire of the rearmost French ships having been con- 
centrated on the Queen Charlotte, the latter suffered so 
severely in rigging and spars as to become almost 
unmanageable. She, therefore, dropped astern, and 
being annoyed by the fire of one of the enemy's ships, 
drove her crashing broadsides full upon her, compelling 
her in a very few minutes to haul down her tricolor. 
She proved to be L' Alexandre, and had already suffered 
much from the guns of the Orion and the Irresistible, 

Lord Bridport soon afterwards came up in the Boyal 
George, and, from some unaccountable want of energy, 
signalled his advanced ships to discontinue the action, 
at a time when the victory was decidedly with the 
English. Instead of three prizes, had the battle con- 
tinued an hour or two longer, not less than eight or nine 
would have crowned the efforts of his gallant followers. 
As it was, the honour of the victory mainly rested with 
the Queen Charlotte and her brave captain, Sir Andrew 
Douglas; though when the nation distributed its 
rewards he was unaccountably neglected. The Colossus, 
Orion, and Sans-Pareil were also commanded by men who 
" deserved well of their country." 

In this indecisive engagement the total loss on the 
part of the conquerors was 31 killed and 131 wounded; 
out of which the Queen Charlotte had 4 killed and 32 
wounded. On board the three French prizes alone were 
670 killed and wounded, and the total loss of the 
French fleet must have exceeded 1000. 

During the year 1796 the Queen Charlotte remained 
attached to that portion of the Channel fleet which, 
under Lord Bridport, lay at Spithead, ready to act if 
the Brest fleet ventured out of harbour. 

In 1797, she had the misfortune to share in the 
Mutiny at Spithead — one of the darkest and most de- 



THE MUTINY AT SPITHEAD* 173 

plorable chapters in the history of the British Navy. It 
is said that, under Loid Howe, who, though a skilful 
officer and a brave man, was not a very strict disciplin- 
arian, her crew had fallen into a very lax and insub- 
ordinate condition, and that the revolt, which at one 
time threatened such serious consequences, commenced 
on board the Queen Charlotte. It is only just to say, 
however, that British seamen in the year 1797 had, 
indeed, not unreasonable causes for disaffection, and that 
the gnevances of Avhich they complained were sub- 
stantial ones. The seamen of to-day can little imagine 
how ill-fed, ill-paid, and ill-treated were ihose gallant 
*' Jack tars " who fonght so heroically at Camperdown, 
the Nile, and Trafalgar. Badly -ventilated ships, coarse 
and unwholesome food, low wages, a stern and arbitrary 
discipline — such were the real sources of the Mutiny, 
which first at Spithead, and afterwards at the Kore, 
menaced the very existence of England as a free and 
prosperous empire. 

Towards the close of February 1797, Lord Howe, 
while sick on shore, received several petitions pur- 
porting to come from the seamen at Portsmouth, re- 
quiring an advance of wages. As they were all in the 
same handwriting. Lord Howe concluded they were 
forged by some incendiary spirit, and declined to 
forward them to the Admiralty ; but soon afterwards he 
instructed Eear Admiral Seymour to ascertain whether 
any disaffection was really fermenting in the fleet. 
From the representations made by the rear-admiral, 
Lord Howe was confirmed in his previous impression, 
and with a comment to that effect placed the petitions in 
Earl Spencer's hands. The seamen, ignorant of the 
light in which their representations were regarded, 
ascribed Lord Howe's silence to a contemptuous dis- 
regard of their complaints, and with embittered minds 
concerted together the best mode of compelling the 
Admiralty to do them justice. 

On the 15th of April, while matters, unknown to the 



174 OUTBREAK OF THE MUTINY. 

authorities, were in this serious state, Lord Bridpoit, in 
command of the Channel fleet, threw out the signal to 
prepare for sea. Whereupon the seamen of the Boyal 
George, instead of weighing anchor, swarmed up the 
rigging, and gave three mighty cheers — cheers which 
were loudly echoed on board every man-of-war then 
lying at Spithead. They rang with a fatal sound in the 
ears of the officers of the fleet, for they were the assured 
and unmistakeable indications of the greatest danger 
which can threaten a ship's captain — mutiny, A vain 
attempt was made to induce the men to return to their 
duty, but their resentment was too keen, and the organi- 
zation too complete. 

The next day, the 16th of April, every ship's company 
elected two of their number to act as their delegates, 
whose council-chamber was the state-room of the Queen 
Charlotte, where, after the victory of the 1st of June, 
Lord Howe had entertained his sovereign. On the 
17th, an oath of lo^^alty to the cause was administered 
to every seaman in the fleet, and, as a significant hint 
to officers who had made themselves unpopular by their 
arbitrary conduct, ropes v/ere reeved at the fore yard- 
arms of each vessel. The more unpo|)ular, however, 
were soon afterwards sent on shore uninjured ; and it 
must be remembered to the credit of English sailors 
that, while thus the virtua^l masters of " the situation," 
they spilt no blood, nor revenged themselves upon the 
men who had formerly oppressed them with an un- 
relenting t}' ranny. 

The delegates now drew up two respectfully-worded 
petitions, one to Parliament, the other to the Admi- 
ralty, in which they required that the seamen's wages 
should be increased ; their provisions weighed with the 
legal allowance of sixteen (and not fourteen) oimces to 
the pound ; that they should be of a better quality ; that 
vegetables, instead of flour, should be served out with 
fresh beef; that the sick should receive a more careful 
tendance, and their necessaries not be embezzled ; and 



niOGRESS OF THE MUTINY. 175 

that the men, on returning from a long voyage, might 
he allowed a short furlough to visit their families. 

On the 18th a committee of the Board of Admiralty 
arrived at Portsmouth, and promised the seamen an 
increase of wages ; but the increase was neither as 
large as the seamen demanded nor was any attention 
paid to the other grievances of which they had com- 
plained. They, therefore, declared that until their 
complaints were fully redressed, and an Act of Indem- 
nity passed for those who had been concerned in the 
Mutiny, they would not lift an anchor. 

There was no help for it but to yield ; and on the 
next day, the Admiralty committee addressed a letter 
to the delegates, granting the increase of wages de- 
manded, the full weight and measure of provisions, 
and promising an unconditional pardon. The seamen 
returned a moderate and gratefully- worded reply, ac- 
knowledging these important concessions, but declaring 
they would not weigh anchor — unless the enemy put to 
sea — until their stipulations relative to an increase of 
pension, and a supply of vegetables when in port, 
should be complied with. 

On the 21st, with the view of eftecting a peaceable 
arrangement. Vice- Admirals Alan Gardner and Colpoj^s, 
and Eear- Admiral Pole, had a conference with the dele- 
gates on board the Queen Charlotte. The latter were 
respectful in their behaviour, and courteous in their 
tone, but they were equally firm and decided, and 
showed themselves conscious of their power. They 
declared that the fleet would be fully satisfied with no 
aiTangement which was not openly sanctioned by the 
Parliament and the King. Enraged at such bold plain- 
speaking, Admiral Gardner grasped one of them by the 
collar, and swore he would hang every one of them, 
and every fifth man in the fleet. 

The delegates returned in great wrath to their re- 
spective ships, and those on board the Boyal George 
immediately hoisted the ominous signal of the red, or 



176 END OF THE MUTINY. 

bloody flag. The officers then tanled down I;ord 
Bridport's flag, that the two might not wave together — • 
the one, the token of an honourable career, and llie 
other the signal of mutiny and disafi"ection. Gnns were 
now loaded, powder brought on deck, watches appointed, 
and the same preparations made as if the fleet were in 
the presence of an enemy. No officers were allowed to 
go on shore, but otherwise their personal liberty was 
not infringed. The greatest order and decorum every- 
where prevailed, and it was evident tbat the organization 
of the Mutiny had been developed by men of no ordi- 
nary powers of mind as well as of conspicuous influence 
over their fellows. 

After a day or two's reflection, the indignation excited 
by Admiral Gardner's imprudence subsided, and two 
letters were addressed by the delegates to the Admiralty 
and Lord Bridport respectively, in which they explained 
the reasons of their conduct, and hailed Lord Bridport 
as their " friend and father," whom they were unwilling 
to insult by any intentional offence. The admiral, there- 
fore, on the following day (the 23rd), went on board 
the Boyal George, whose crew immediately rehoisted 
his flag, and lowered the mutinous blood-red signal. 
He then summoned them upon the quarter-deck, and 
harangued them in a hearty, manly speech, which was 
received with a burst of earnest cheering. He informed 
them that all their grievances had been redressed, and 
that the King had graciously pardoned every offender ; 
whereupon the men declared themselves satisfied, and 
returned in a spirit of good-will to the regular perform- 
ance of their duties. 

It was now supposed that this unhappy affair was 
settled, but unfortunately the ships were detained at St. 
Helen's by a foul wind until the 7th of May, and busy 
tongues being at work to persuade the seamen that their 
grievances would not be redressed, and that promises 
had been freely lavi^hed only to answer a temporary 
purpose, disafi'ection again broke out. When Lord 



CRITISE OP THE 

Bndport made the signal to weigh and put to sea, every 
ship again disobeyed. 

In this difficulty the Government found a Deus ex 
machind in the veteran Earl Howe, who was deservedly 
popular with the seamen both on accoimt of his skill, 
courage, success, and benevolence. On the 14tli he 
aiTived at Portsmouth, bringing with him the King's 
proclamation of pardon, and an Act of Parliament which 
granted the seamen all they had demanded. Lord 
Howe was received with enthusiasm. He visited every 
ship at St. Helen's and Spithead, and restored disci- 
pline and subordination on board of each. On re-land- 
ing at Portsmouth, the delegates bore him triumphantly, 
on their shoulders, to the Grovemor's house, and took 
leave of the aged hero, whose last service to his country 
was scarcely less important than th^se which had 
distingiiished his previous career, with an outburst of 
excited and enthusiastic cheering. 

The Queen Charlotte and her companions weighed 
anohor on the 17th, stood over to Brej^t, and finding the 
French fleet lying there in a most inglorious safety, 
continued their cruise to the westward. They remained 
at sea during the entire summer, occasionally retumLog 
to |X)rt to revictual and refit^ but the enemy " made no 
sign," and Lord Bridport was unable to gain any fresh 
laurels. 

On the 12:h of April, 1798, the Channel fleet, of 
which the Queen Charlotte was still a member, recom- 
menced its annual cruise; but as the Brest squadron 
yet remained shut up in port, we have no occurrences 
of any interest to detail. 

In 1799 Rear- Admiral Whitshed hoisted his flag on 
board our famous three-decker, and proceeded in May 
to reinforce Earl St. Vincent's fleet in the Mediterranean. 
The hero of the victory of Cape St Vincent having now 
21 line-of -battle ships under his command, steered for 
the coast of Spain, and, descrying there not a single 
French pennon, cruised towards the north-east. On 



178 RESCUE OP THE *^ LADY NELSON.'* 

the 2nd of June the Earl, finding his health give wa}^ 
set out for England in the Ville-de Paris, and Vice- 
Admiral Lord Keith assumed the command-in-chief. 
He then proceeded in search of the French fleet, which 
had escaped from Toulon, visiting Vado Bay, the Genoese 
coast, and the Balearic Islands without success, for the 
French had got into Cadiz, and afterwards succeeded in 
effecting a safe passage to Brest. When it is remem- 
bered that the French numbered 40 sail of the line, be- 
sides 19 frigates, and that Lord Keith had but 31 sail of 
the line and 4 frigates, we must own that the British 
admiral, in his hot and eager, though misdirected pur- 
suit, evinced a noble confidence in the superior prowess 
and skill of British seamen. 

Lord Keith, whose flag was now fljdng in the Queen 
Charlotte, continued to cruise in the Mediterranean for 
the remainder of the year, and though no general action 
ensued, an opportunity was offered to the '' Queen 
Charlottes " of showing of what mettle they were made. 
While she lay in the Bay of Gibraltar — on the evening 
of the 21st of December — the British 10-gun cutter 
Lady Nelson^ when off Cabrita Point, was suddenly 
pounced upon by three French privateers and some 
gun-boats. Lord Keith immediately ordered the boats 
of the Queen Charlotte to her assistance ; but before they 
could get up with her, the Lady Nelson had been 
captured, and taken in tow by two of the privateers. 
Despite these odds, Lieut. Bainbridge, in the Queen 
Charlotte's barge, supported but by sixteen men, drove 
alongside the Lady Nelson, flung himself on her deck, 
and he and his little band of heroes, sword in hand, 
actually recaptured her, slaying six or seven of the 
Frenchmen, and taking prisoners 34 others. Mean- 
while, the Queen Charlotte's cutter, led by the gallant 
Lord Cochrane (afterwards Earl of Dundonald), made 
after the two privateers, who had cut the tow-ropes, 
and were crowding on all sail to escape into Algesiras. 
Owing to the singular hesitation of Lord Cochrane's 



THE SHIP ON FIRE. 170 

crew, the attempt failed, but the '* Queen Charlottes^' had 
the satisfaction of returning to the flag-ship with the 
Lady Nelson as a trophy of their most ardent courage. 

Lord Keith and his fleet were now engaged in a 
blockade of the island of Malta, and in various desultory 
operations on the Italian coast, which occupied the 
winter months. On the 16th of March 1800, he landed 
at Leghorn to communicate with the Austrian authori- 
ties, leaving instructions with Captain Todd to get the 
flag-ship under weigh, and reconnoitre the island of 
Capraia, where then fluttered the French tricolor. 
On the following morning the Queen Charlotte was about 
ten or eleven miles from Leghorn. The wind was 
gentle, and the sea curled with a light swell. Suddenly 
arose the cry — the most fearfal that can arise on board 
ship, and one that may well startle the bravest from 
his propriety — the cry of " Fire !" The perilous condi- 
tion of the flag-ship was speedily discerned ashore, and 
boats w^ere immediately despatched to her assistance; 
but many were prevented from approaching by the dis- 
charge of her cannon, which were all ready shotted, and, 
when heated by the fire, cast destruction on every side. 

The best narrative of this disaster is that by Mr. 
Baird, the carpenter of the Queen Charlotte, preserved 
in Schomberg's Naval History : — "At about twenty 
minutes after six in the morning," he says, '* as I was 
dressing myself, I heard throughout the ship a cry of 
fire / I immediately ran up the fore-ladder to get upon, 
deck, and found the whole half-deck, the front bulk- 
head of the admii al's cabin, the coat of the mainmast, 
and the boats' covering on the booms, all in flames ; 
which, from every report and probability, I apprehend 
was occasioned by some hay, that was lying under the 
half-deck, having been set on fire by a match in a tub, 
which was usually kept there for signal guns. The 
mainsail at this time was set, and almost instantly 
caught fire, the people not being able, on account of the 
flames, to come to the clue-garnets. 

M 2 



180 LOSS OF THE *' QUEEN CHARLOTTE." 

" I immediately went to the forecastle, and found 
Lieutenant Dundas and the boatswain encouraging the 
people to get water to extinguish the fire. I applied to 
Mr. Dundas, seeing no other officer in the fore -part of 
the ship (and being unable to see any on the quarter- 
deck from the flames and smoke between them), to give 
me assistance to drown the lower decks, and secure the 
hatches, to prevent the fire from falling down." 

*' At about nine o'clock," continues Sir. Baird, '' find- 
ing it impossible to remain any longer below, Lieu- 
tenant Dundas and myself went out at the foremost 
lower-deck port, and got upon the forecastle ; on which , 
I apprehend, there were then about 150 of the people 
drawing water, and throwing it as far aft as possible 
upon the fire. I continued about an hour on the fore- 
castle, till, finding all efforts to extinguish the flames 
unavailing, I jumped from the jib-boom and swam to an 
American boat approaching the ship ; by which boat I 
was picked tip and put into a tartan, then in charge 
of Lieutenant Stewart, who had come off to the as- 
sistance of the ship." 

Captain Todd, and the first lieutenant, Mr. Bainbridge, 
remained upon deck to the last, and, utterly regardless 
of their own safety, directed all their thoughts to the 
best means of saving the lives of as many as possible of 
the crew. They perished on board, dying in the service 
of their country as certainly, and let us say as gloriously, 
as if they had fallen in the hour of victorious battle. 

No less than 673 officers, seamen, marines, and boys 
perished by this terrible catastrophe. 167 were saved 
from the burning wreck by the boats that put off to 
their assistance. 11 chanced to be on shore at Leghorn. 
And not only did England lose these valuable and 
lamented lives, but a noble vessel — one of the largest 
and finest in her navy — well found and fully equipped — ^ 
and hallowed, so to speak, by her associations with one 
of England's greatest victories at sea ! 



181 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE STORY OF THE ** LEANDER." 

[Period of Service : 1798—1804. 
Strength : 52 guns, 1052 tons, 338 men.] 

" But the might of England flush 'd 
To anticipate the scene ; 
And her van the fleeter rush'd 
O'er the deadly space between. 
* Hearts of oak !' our captain cried, when each gun 
From its adamantine lips 
Spread a death-shade round the ships, 
Like the hurricane-eclipse 
Of the sun.'' — Thomas Campbell. 

We first meet with the Leander on a cruise in the 
West Indies, during the war with France which arose 
from her support of the United States in their rebellion 
against the crown of England. At midnight, on the 
18th of January 1783, Avhile under the command of 
Captain John Willet Payne, she fell in with the French 
74-gun ship PZw^on, Capitaine d' Albert de Eemis, and 
boldly engaged her formidable opponent, despite the 
great disparity of force. The PJuton, however, had 
received some damage in a gale of wind, and the little 
English two-decker was accordingly able to take up a 
position on her starboard bow, which enabled her to 
pour in a destructive raking fire. The contest lasted 
for two hours, when the French 74 was well content to 
make sail from her pestilent little antagonist, with a 
loss of 5 men killed and 1 1 wounded. The Leander, in 
this spirited but unequal action, lost 11 killed and 2 
wounded. 
Peace soon afterwards ensued, and we hear but little 



182 nelson's fleet. 

of tlie Leander until 1797, four years after tlie outbreak 
of the Eevolutionary War; when, on the 24th of July, 
she joined Eear- Admiral Nelsons squadron off the 
island of Teneriffe, and joined in his gallant but un- 
successful attack on Santa Cruz. In this desperate 
service her officers and men distinguished themselves 
highly. In the following year she was again attached 
to the squadron under Nelson's command, and it thus 
became her fortune to share in the glorious victory of 
the Nile. 

Nelson's fleet was not very formidable in numbers or 
strength. He had under his orders but thirteen 74-gun 
ships, one 50-gun ship, and a sloop — not even a frigate 
or a three-decker. His instructions were to proceed 
*' in quest of the armament preparing by the enemy at 
Toulon and Genoa; the object whereof appears to be 
either an attack upon Naples or Sicily, the convej^ance 
of an army to some part of the coast of Spain for the 
purpose of marching towards Portugal, or to pass through 
the Straits, with a view of proceeding to Ireland," and 
he was directed to pursue the enemy to *'any part of 
the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Morea, Archipelago, or 
even into the Black Sea." Nelson carried out these 
orders with characteristic energy. He first steered for 
the island of Corsica, and, on the 12th, lay-to off the 
Isle of Elba, while the Mutine was despatched to Civita 
Vecchia to obtain intelligence. It was his intention, if 
he came up with the French fleet, to fight it with his 
own ships drawn up in three divisions, "thus ; — 

" 1 T7w««„«^^ 5 The Flag-ship, Captain Y4, Zealous. . Capt. Samuel Hood. 
14, Vanguard ^ j,^^^.^-^ g^^.^^, ^ » ^,^^^^ ^.^ j^^^^ g^^, 

T4, Minotaur . Capt. 'I'homas Louis. ' ' ' '\ marez. 

50, Leander . Capt. Thos Thompson. 74, Goliath . . Capt. Thomas Foley. 

74, Audacious. Capt. Davidge Gould. 14, Mojastic . Capt. G. Westcott. 

71, Defence . Capt. John Peyton. 74, Bellerophon Capt. Henry Darby. 

74, Culloden . . Capt. Thomas Troubridge. 

74, Theseus . . Capt. Ralph Willett Miller. 

74, Alexander , Capt. Alexander John Ball. 

74, Swiftsure . Capt. Benjamin Hallowell. 

The two stronger divisions were to engage the enemy's 



SAILS FOR ALEXANDRIA. 183 

liuc-of-battle sliips, and tlie third to attack and destroy 
the transports. A daring scheme ! for against Nelsons 
nine 74's and one 50, would have been opposed a 120-giin 
ship, and twelve 80 's and 74's, four or five of which 
were the largest two-deckers in the world. 

On the morning of the 17th the British fleet sailed 
into the Bay of Naples, and learned that the French 
had coasted the island of Sardinia, and probably steered 
for Malta. Thither steered the indefatigable Nelson, 
though somewhat retarded by failing winds, so that it 
was the 20th before he entered the Straits of Messina. 
At the latter port he was apprised of the capture by the 
French of Malta and Gozo, and accordingly, towards 
Malta he continued his course, a fresh north-westerly 
breeze filling his swelling canvas. At daybreak on the 
20th, when to the south-east of Cape Passaro, the 
Miitine learnt from a Eagusan brig that the French had 
quitted Malta. Instinctively deciding that their object 
now was Egypt, the English admiral crowded on all 
sail for Alexandria — the famous city which remains as 
the sole memorial of the conquests of the Macedonian 
hero — and arrived off its harbours on the 28th. During 
this weary pursuit the spirits of the men were cheered, 
and their efficiency in the hour of battle increased, by 
daily exercise at the great guns and with small arms. 
But in the Alexandrian ports there only fluttered the 
crescent of the Turks, and no sign of the tricolor had 
been descried. 

Nelson accordingly resolved on retracing his steps, 
but in consequence of the prevalence of north-westerly 
winds it was the 4th of July before his ships made the 
coast of Natolia, and until the 16th they continued to 
beat to windward. A favourable breeze then filled 
their sails, and at daybreak on the 18th Cape Passaro 
was sighted. The next day, being in need of water and 
provisions, they stood towards Syracuse; and, though 
the entrance to the harbour is exceedingly difficult, and 
no one in the fleet had ever passed through it, yet such 



184 A PURSUIT. 

was the seamansliip of Nelson's captains, and the efficiency 
of their crews, that every vessel effected the passage with 
rapidit}^, and in complete security. 

Through the influence of Lady Hamilton, the Nea- 
politan court, though professing neutrality, was induced 
to hasten the supplies of which Nelson stood in need. 
*' Thanks to your exertions," he wrote to that Circe-like 
enchantress, "we have victualled and watered; and 
surely, watering at the fountain of Arethusa, we must 
have victory. \¥e shall sail with the first breeze ; and 
be assured I will return either crowned with laurel or 
covered with cypress." As early as the 24th, — that is, 
in five days, — the fleet was revictualled and refitted, 
and on that day the indefatigable Nelson once more put 
to sea. As the French had been discovered neither in 
the Adriatic nor the Archipelago, and had not gone 
down the Mediterranean, he concluded that their object 
was, and must be, Egypt ; and when off Coron he ob- 
tained information which confirmed him in the conclu- 
sion, namelj', that Admiral Brueys' fleet had been seen, 
some four weeks previously, steering to the south-east 
from Candia. The British speedily followed in their 
track, with a fresh breeze and a heavy sea bearing them 
rapidly towards " the crown of victory." 

They arrived off Alexandria on the 1st of August, and 
the forest of masts in its harbours, and the tricolor waving 
fi om its towers and minarets, immediately assured them 
that they were at length in the presence of their enemy.* 
It was some disappointment when the look-out ships 
signalled that of all the sail crowded in the two ports 
only eight were line-of-battle ships ; but the spirits of 
the British revived when the Zealous, on her nearer 
approach, indicated that in Aboukir Bay (on her lar- 
board bow) lay seventeen ships of war, fourteen of which 

* The two fleets had actually crossed each other's track on the 
night of the 22iid of June : but a thick liaze prevailed — it was in 
llie widest part of Ihe Mediterranean — and Nelson had no frigates 
to detach as look-out vessels. Hence, the French passed unperceived. 



ABOUKIR BAY. 185 

were formed in line of battle. There Bnieys reposed in 
fancied security, believing that the dreaded Nelson was 
on his way to Europe, or, at all events, confident that 
the strength of his position would insure him from 
attack. The British admiral's excitement, as he neared 
the foe, grew intense, and he exclaimed, — " Before this 
time to-morrow, I shall have gained a peeragCj or West- 
minster Abbey I" 

Aboukir Bay commences about twenty miles to the 
north-east of Alexandria, and stretches with a semicir- 
cular sweep from the Castle of Aboukir to the Eosetta 
mouth of the Nile. The two horns of the crescent, 
however, are not more than six miles apart. There is 
no depth of water for line-of-battle ships within a league 
from the shore, on account of a sand- bank, which ex- 
tends that distance, and on which there are not more 
than four fathoms' soundings. On the north-west side 
lies a little island, about two miles from the point which 
the castle crowns, and connected with it by a chain of 
rocks and sand-banks. This is almost the only shelter 
which the bay possesses. 

The French fleet was disposed, outside of the shoal 
we have spoken of, in a curved line which extended 
rather more than a mile and a half in length. Its flank 
was protected by a battery of four twelve-pounders, some 
light guns, and two mortars, which had been constructed 
upon Aboukir Island. The ships were formed in line 
ahead, in the following order i—Guerrier, 74 ; Conquerant, 
74 ; Spartiate, 74 ; Aquilon, 74 ; Peuple-Souverain, 74 ; 
Franhlin, 80; L' Orient, 120; Tonnant, 80; Heureux, 74; 
Mercure, 74 ; GuiUaiime-Tell, 80 ; Genereux, 74l ; TimoUon, 
74 ; and in an inner line, midway between the outer 
line and the shoal, lay the Serieuse frigate, 36 ; the Ar- 
temise, 36 ; and the Diana, 40. There were also two 
brigs, several gun boats, and three fire-ships. The chief 
in command, Vice- Admiral Brueys, with Captain Honore 
Ganteaume and Commodore Casa-Bianca as his seconds, 
had his flag flying in L' Orient ; Rear- Admiral Blanquet, 



180 MOVEMENTS OF THE FRENCH, 

in Le Franklin; and Eear- Admiral Villeneuve in Le 
Guillaume Tell. 

The comparative strength of the two fleets may be 
estimated as follows : — 

British, 1012 guns and 8068 men; 
French, 1196 guns and 11,280 men; 
but the disparity would be still greater if the superior 
calibre of the French guns was taken into the account. 

When the British arrived off Aboukir Bay the French 
ships were lying at single anchor, without springs on 
their cables, and with a great proportion of their crews 
on shore obtaining a supply of water. Brueys imme- 
diately recalled them; and further to strengthen the 
complements of his line-of-battle ships, drew some men 
from his frigates. He also detached a couple of brigs 
to lure, if possible, the van ships of the British upon the 
shoal of Aboukir Island, and made the signal to prepare 
for battle. But observing that these hove-to, he came 
to the not unnatural conclusion that Nelson would make 
no attack until the following morning, and signalled to 
remain at anchor, intending during the darkness of the 
night to follow out Napoleon's instructions, and put to 
sea in order to effect his escape. 

But he little understood the spirit which inspired the 
British Sea-king. Nelson had determined to fight the 
French whenever and wherever he found them, and he 
was not the man to swerve an iota from his fixed resolve. 
The British fleet still continued to bear down upon its 
enemy, and Brueys accordingly ordered each of his 
ships to la}^ out an anchor in the S.S.E., and "to send a 
stream-cable to the ship next astern to her, making a 
hawser fast to it," in such a manner as to bring her 
Droadside full upon her antagonist. Thus prepared, the 
French fleet waited the attack. 

Meanwhile, various manoeuvres had occupied the 
attention of the British, and at half-past five their ships 
were nearly abreast of the extremity of the Aboukir 
shoal. Nelson now signalled for them to form in line 



OrENlNG OF THE BATTLE. 187 

of battle alicad and astern of the flag-sliip, and hailed 
the Zealous, to know if Captain Hood thought there was 
sufficient depth of water for the British ships between 
the enemy and the shore. " 1 don't know, sir," replied 
Hood ; *' but, with your permifssion, I icill stand in and 
try,'' For it had been Kelson's object to keep on the 
outer side of the French line, and place his ships, one on 
the outer bow, another on the outer quarter, of each of 
the enemy's. He had explained his intentions to his 
flag-captain, Berry, who exclaimed, *' If we succeed, 
what will the world say?" *' There is no if in the 
case," replied Nelson; "that we shall succeed, is cer- 
tain : who may live to tell the story is a very different 
question." 

The Zealous, taking careful soundings, now rounded^ 
the shoal, with the Goliath a little ahead on her larboard 
bow. The remainder of the fleet followed in the order 
indicated by Nelson's signals, — Orion, Audacious, The- 
seus, Vanguard, Minotaur, Defence, Bellerophon, Majestic, 
and Leander ; while, at some distance to the northward, 
the Culloden, and farther away to the westward, the 
Alexander and Swiftsure, were crowding on all sail to 
overtake their companions. Soon after these arrange- 
ments were completed the British ships hoisted their 
colours, while from several points of their rigging waved 
the immortal union-jack — 

" The flag that's braved a thousand years 
The battle and the breeze." 

At twenty minutes past six, as the rosy light began 
to wane from the cloudless Eastern sky, the French 
ships hoisted the tricolor, and the Conquerant and the 
Guerrier commenced the battle by a distant cannonade 
at the Goliath and Zealous, then in line close to each 
other, but in advance of the body of their fleet. Ten 
minutes later and the Goliath, pressing ahead of the 
Guerrier, which she raked as she passed with a crashing 
broadside, bore up for that ship's inner bow ; but her 



188 ITS PROGRESS. 

anclior not dropping soon enough, was unable to bring 
up until abreast of the larboard quarter of the second 
vessel of the enemy's line, the Conquer ant. With this 
position Captain Foley was obliged to content himself, 
and accordingly opened a vigorous fire upon his oppo- 
nent ; while the Zealous took up the place Captain Foley 
had designed for the Goliath, under the larboard bow of 
the Guerriei', in only five fathoms water. The first 
broadside from the Zealous brought down the French- 
man's foremast, — an omen of success which was greeted 
with three enthusiastic cheers by the whole British 
fleet. 

Leaving the two vessels thus engaged, we turn to 
observe the movements of the Orion, the third in the 
British line. As she passed the Guerrier she poured in 
her broadside, rounded the stern of the Zealous, passed 
both that vessel and the Goliath, and made for the Aqui- 
lon, the fourth from the French van. But as she bore 
down with stately steadiness the frigate Serieuse opened 
fire upon her, — an insolence which the Orion answered 
with her starboard guns ; and so terrible was their pre- 
cision and effect that the French frigate was speedily 
dismasted, her hull shattered, and, drifting upon the 
shoal, she filled and partially went down, — her upper 
quarters alone remaining above water. The Orion then 
dropped anchor, and brought up abreast the Peuple- 
Souverain, with her aftermost guns trained to bear upon 
the bows of the FranJclin. 

Meanwhile the Audacious and the Theseus took up 
their places,— the former bringing up within about 
seventy yards of the bows of the Conquerant, and the 
latter anchoring by the stern about 300 yards from the 
Spartiate. The Vanguard, Nelson's own ship, in pur- 
suance of his plan to overwhelm the French van before 
he attacked the rear, edged away towards the outer side 
of the French line, and anchored within eighty yards of 
the Spartiate's starboard beam. The Minotaur next 
grappled with the Aquilon, and the Defence brought up 



THE ** zealous'' and THE " GUERRIER.'' 189 

abreast of the Peuple-Souverain. Soon afterwards tho 
Belleroplion, with an excess of courage, laid herself 
alongside the mighty French three-decker, the Orient, 
while the Majestic attacked the Tonnant with thorough 
good-will. 

The British ships, in order to recognize one another, 
now hoisted at their mizen-peak four lights horizontally, 
while they also went into action with the white or vSt. 
George's ensign flying, " the red cross in the centre of 
which rendered it easily distinguishable, in the darkest 
night, from the tri-coloured flag of the enemy." 

Having thus detailed the opening movements of the 
battle, and placed the different vessels of the British 
fleet in the position which British seamen best love — 
alongside their enemy, we proceed to sketch the for- 
tunes of the fight. 

The Guerrier soon found in the Zealous a most unwel- 
come companion. The British fire was so well-directed 
that she was dismasted in ten minutes, while from the 
peculiarity of her position, and the unprepared state of 
her larboard broadside, she was able to bring but a few 
guDs to bear in return. " After pouring several more 
unrequited broadsides into his dismasted antagonist, 
Captain Hood hailed again and again to know if she 
would surrender. No answer being returned, the work 
of slaughter went on. ... At a few minutes past nine 
P.M., tired of killing men in this way. Captain Hood 
sent his first-lieutenant on board the French ship, to ask 
leave to hoist a light and haul it down, as a signal of 
submission. This was done, and the Guerrier became 
the prize of the Zealous,'' She was found to have suffered 
terribly. Her deck was crowded with the dead and 
dying, her sides were shattered, and her masts brought 
down by the board. Her loss in killed and wounded 
was estimated at from 350 to 400, or more than half her 
complement. The Zealous had but seven men wounded. 

The Conquerant, in about ten minutes' engagement 
with the Goliath and Audacious^ lost her fore and mizen 



190 KELSON WOUNDED. 

masts, and 300 killed and wounded. Utterly disabled, 
and incapable of a longer defence, slie struck her colours ; 
but not nntil slie bad inflicted considerable damage 
upon her opponents. The Spartiate lost some men by 
the fire of the Theseus, and afterwards found herself op- 
posed by Kelson, in the Vanguard. The Audacious also 
rained in shot upon her larboard bow. At first she was 
gallantly supported by the Aquilon, but the latter soon 
found enough to do in returning the artillery of the 
Minotaur, and the Spartiate, 'after losing her three masts, 
was constrained to haul down her colours. 

The Vanguard, however, had not come off scot-free 
from her powerful antagonist. Her loss was 30 killed 
and 76 wounded, and among the latter was Nelson him- 
self, who received a severe wound on the head from a 
piece of langridge shot. '' Captain Berry," says Southey, 
" caught him in his arms as he was falling. The great 
effusion of blood occasioned an apprehension that the 
wound was mortal : Nelson himself thought so : a large 
flap of the skin of the forehead, cut from the bone, had 
fallen over one eye ; and the other being blind, he was 
in total darkness. When the surgeon came in due time 
to examine his wound (for it was in vain to entreat him 
to let it be examined sooner), the most anxious silence 
prevailed ; and the joy of the wounded men, and of the 
whole crew, when they heard that the hurt was merely 
superficial, gave Nelson deeper pleasure than the unex- 
pected assurance that his life was in no danger. The 
surgeon requested, and, as far as he could, ordered him 
to remain quiet ; but Nelson could not rest. He called 
for his secretary, Mr. Campbell, to write the despatches. 
Campbell had himself been w^ounded ; and was so 
affected at the blind and suffering state of the admiral, 
that he was unable to write. The chajDlain was then 
sent for ; but, before he came. Nelson, with his charac- 
teristic eagerness, took the pen, and contrived to trace a 
few words, marking his devout sense of the success which 
had already been obtained." 



PROGRESS OF THE BATTLE. 191 

At lialf-past nine, the Aquilon, after a fierce engage- 
ment, dismasted and shattered, surrendered to the Mino- 
taur. The Peuple-Souverainy harassed by the broadsides 
of the Orion and the close fire of^ the Defence, and 
having lost both her fore and main masts, parted her 
cable, and dropped down abreast of the Orient, — her 
captain and a large portion of her crew already upon 
her death-roll. To counterbalance these disasters the 
French could only boast that the overwhelming fire of 
their 120-gun ship, L' Orient, had proved too much for 
her daring antagonist, the BeUerojphon, The latter lost 
all her masts, and cutting her cable, after an hour and 
a half's heroic struggle, wore clear of the French admi- 
ral's fire, with a loss of 49 men killed and 148 wounded. 
Meanwhile the Majestic, after sufi*ering severely from the 
Tonnant's fire, had brought up on the larboard quarter of 
the Heureiix, where, for the present, we must leave her. 

The CuUoden, in endeavouring to get up in time to 
share in the action, unfortunately ran upon the Aboukir 
shoal, and not all the skill of her captain, or the exer- 
tions of her men, could get her off. Her signals, how- 
ever, saved the Alexander and the Sioiftsiire from a similar 
disaster, and these tw^o ships crowded on all sail to the 
assistance of their comrades. 

The Siciftsure, at about half-past eight, clewed up her 
Bails, and opened a heavy fire upon the French admiral 
at not more than 200 yards' distance ; while the Lean- 
der, at almost the same time, took up a position upon 
the larboard bow of the Franklin, and in spite of her 
comparative weakness shook the French two-decker from 
stem to stem with her sweeping broadsides. The Alex- 
ander now came up swiftly, under a press of sail, and 
stationed herself on the Orient's larboard quarter, but 
she had scarcely opened her fire when an event occurred 
which made the boldest hold their breath for a time, and 
smote into a sudden silence the artillery of both fleets! 

It was at a few minutes after nine p.m. that the 
people of the Swiftsure first perceived a fire in the mizen 



192 EXPLOSION OP THE '* ORIEKT,'* 

chains of the Orient, and bronght as many of their guns 
as they could to bear upon the flaming deck. Their 
effect was deadly. The flames crept along the deck, 
shot up the masts and yards, and wreathed about the 
rigging, throwing a fearful lurid gleam upon the clouds 
of battle, and lighting up every ship, both of friend and 
foe, so as to bring into a strange and eyen terrible relief 
their respective colours. At about ten the fire reached 
the magazines, and the unfortunate three-decker blew 
up with a startling explosion, which shook the neigh- 
bouring ships to their kelsons, and menaced them with 
a similar fate, from the burning beams and flaming tim- 
bers which hurtled on every side. 

This terrible catastrophe produced a pause in the 
battle, and for full ten minutes not a gun was fired on 
either side. Then the fierce cannonade recommenced, 
the Defence and Swiftsure falling heavily upon the 
Franklin, silencing her guns, bringing down her masts, 
and covering her deck with the dead and wounded. 
She was soon compelled to strike. At four o'clock, 
just as the morning was slowly breaking over the vast 
plains of Egypt, the French frigate Artemise hauled 
down her colours. The Heureux and the Mercure soon 
afterwards surrendered ; and we may hei*e state, that of 
the whole French fleet only two line-of-battle ships and 
two frigates escaped, the Tonnant, dismasted and shat- 
tered, being taken possession of by a boat from the 
Theseus on the morning of the 3rd, ana the Timoleon being 
set on fire by her crew. 

Such was the battle of the Kile ; one of the most de- 
cisive in its results which history records. " It ruined 
all our hopes," writes a French officer of celebrity ; " it 
prevented our army from receiving the remainder of the 
forces destined for it ; it left the field free for the Eng- 
lish to persuade the Porte into hostilities against France ; 
it rekindled the war with the Emperor of Germany, 
which was hardly extinguished ; it opened the Mediter- 
ranean to the Russians, and planted them on our fron- 



tHE DEATH-nOLL. 193 

tiers ; it occasioned the loss of Italy, and the invaluable 
possessions in the Adriatic, which we owed to the suc- 
cessful campaigns of Bonaparte ; and, finally, it rendered 
abortive at once all our projects, since it was no longer 
possible for us to dream of giving the English any un- 
easiness in India." 

The loss sustained by the British in this most 
memorable battle was necessarily severe. The Goliath, 
out of a complement of 584 men and boys, had 21 killed 
and 41 wounded ; the Zealous, 1 killed, 7 wounded ; the 
Orion, 13 killed, 29 wounded; the Audacious, 1 killed, 
35 wounded ; the Theseus, 5 killed, 30 wounded ; the 
Vanguard (out of 589 men), 30 killed, 76 wounded; 
ihe Minotaur (634 men), 23 killed, 64 wounded; the 
Defence {6^4: men), 4 killed, 11 wounded; the Belle- 
rojphon, 49 killed, 148 wounded ; the Majestic, 50 killed, 
143 wounded ; the Siciftsure, 7 killed, 22 wounded ; the 
Alexander, 14 killed, 58 wounded ; and the Leander (338 
men), 14 wounded. In all, 218 killed and 678 wounded. 

The amount of the French loss is uncertain, but it 
could not have been less than 2,500 killed and wounded. 
Amongst the slain were the French commander-in-chief, 
Vice-Admiral Brueys, who, about eight p.m., received a 
shot that almost cut him in two. He desired not to bo 
taken below, exclaiming in a firm voice, " Un amiral 
Fiancais doit mourir sur son banc de quart," and sur- 
vived the wound only a quarter of an hour. Commodore 
Casa-Bianca, who was also severely wounded, perished 
with his gallant son, a lad of only ten years of age, in 
the explosion of the Orient,* 

* It is supposed that he was below, having his wound dressed, 
when the catastrophe occurred, and that his son was attending him. 
A more romantic death for the young Casa-Bianca has, however, 
been imagined by the poetess, Mrs. Hemans : — 

" The boy stood on the burning deck, 
Whence all but he had fled ; 
The flame that lit the battle's wreck 
Shone round him o'er tlie dead. 



194 REWARDS FOR THE VICTORS. 

Honours, rewards, and congratulations were liberally 

poured out upon tlie Sea-king whose genius had won so 

splendid a triumpli. The Sultan presented him with a 

pelisse of sables and an aigrette of diamonds,— the two 

valued at 23,000 dollars. The Czar of Eussia, the King 

of Sardinia, and the mother of the Sultan, rewarded him 

with gold boxes, set with diamonds. A Turkish Order 

of the Crescent was instituted, and the English admiral 

was its first knight. The East India Company voted 

him a sum of 10,000Z. The King created him Baron 

Nelson of the Nile, and of Burnham Thorpe, and settled 

a pension of 3000Z. per annum upon him and his two next 

heirs. A new and honourable coat-of-arms was granted 

to him, bearing the famous motto, ^' Palmam qui meruit 

ferat.'^ Both Houses of Parliament voted their thanks 

to him, his officers, and men. Medals were coined, 

bonfires were lighted, and the streets of every English 

city blazed with " festal pomp." The victory of the 

Nile, or, as the French call it, of Aboukir, was justly 

considered the greatest success which England had won 

at sea since the days of Blake. 

"We have shown that the Leander — which in the 
interest of our theme we have almost forgotten, al- 
though professing to devote this chapter to a narrative 
of her career — did good service at the Nile. She was 
now selected by Nelson to carry Captain Berry, his 



" The flames roll'd on — he would not go 
Without his father's word ; 
That father, faint in death below, 
His voice no longer heard. 



•' There came a burst of thunder sound * 
The boy— ah ! where was he ? 
Ask of the winds, that far around 
With fragments strewed the sea ! 

" With mast$ and helm, and pennon fair. 
That well had done their part ; 
Bat the noblest thing that perish'd there 
Was that young and faithful heart ;" 



THE '*LEANDEU'' AXD '* LE GENEllEUX." 195 

flag-captain, with despatches for Earl St. Vincent, 
commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean fleet, then 
stationed off Cadiz, and quitted Aboukir Bay on the 
6th of August. On the 18th, when lying becalmed 
within two leagues of the west end of Goza di Candia, 
she discovered, bearing up from the south-east, with 
a favourable breeze, an enemy's line- of- battle ship. 
Being 80 men short of her complement, and having 
on board a number of the wounded from Nelson's fleet, 
Captain Thompson was desirous to avoid, if possible, 
an engagement with an antagonist of such evidently 
preponderating force ; but the Leandcr sailed so badly 
that he had no alternative but to make the best arrange- 
ments he could to receive the enemy. That enemy was 
one of the two men-of-war that had escaped from the 
disasters of the Kile ; her name was Le Genereux, and 
she mounted no less than 80 heavy guns, throwing a 
broadside of 1024 lbs. weight. She measured 1926 tons, 
and was manned by a crew of 986 men. The Leander, 
on the other htind, had but 52 guns, and her broadside 
weighed only 432 .lbs. ; her burthen was 1052 tons, and 
her crew numbered 282 men and boys, including 14 
wounded ! 

At 9 A.M. the Genereux had got within, half gunshot, 
and fired a gun ahead of the Leander^ to which the 
latter boldly replied with a well-directed broadside. A 
fierce cannonade now commenced, the two ships still 
nearing each other, and the Leander firing with a pre- 
cision and an effect which the weakness of her crew 
rendered the more surprising. At half-past 10, the 
Genereux showed a wish to board her gallant little 
antagoniigt, that she might avail herself of her numeri- 
cal superiority, and the spars and rigging of the latter 
were so damaged that she was unable to avoid the blow. 
It fell upon her larboard bow with a crash that ''bent 
double several of the Leander' s lower-deck ports," and 
the two ships lay alongside for some time. 

But the men of the Leander weie not disposed to 

N 2 



108 OBSTINATE DEr^fiNCE!. 

suffer the masses of the Genereux to overwhelm thetil. 
The marines on the poop, and the seamen on the 
quarter-deck, kept up so vigorous a discharge of mus- 
ketry as to repel every boarding party that attempted to 
carry the English vessel, while the great guns were 
still plied with a noble energy. A breeze now arose 
w^hich enabled the Genereux to press ahead of her 
antagonist, who lay with her mizenmast over the star- 
board quarter, her foretopmast over the larboard bow, 
and her rigging cut to pieces. But as the Genereux 
came up in the wind, on the starboard tack, the Leander, 
by a skilful manoeuvre, luffed under her stern, and coolly 
brought to bear upon her every gun that was not dis- 
abled. 

Although a large proportion of her crew were now 
either killed or wounded, the Leander continued the 
unequal struggle with a heroism of which even the 
naval annals of England afford but few examples. At 
half-past 3, however, the Genereux took advantage of 
the light winds w'hich sprang up, to place herself on 
her antagonist's starboard bow, where most of the guns 
had been rendei ed unserviceable by the wreck of the 
fallen spars, and hailed to know whether she had sur- 
rendered. Captain Thompson felt that to ]orolong the 
contest was but to increase an useless slaughter. His 
ship was now ungovernable ; her hull cut to pieces ; 
her blood bedabbled decks piled with the bodies of the 
dead or dying. There was no hope of victory over so 
superior a force, and no chance of escape now that the 
Leander was completely disabled. A pike, with a 
French jack fluttering from it, was accordingly held out 
as a token of surrender, and the Genereux took possession 
of her hard-won prize. 

In this splendidly-fought action — and one more 
glorious does not illustrate the history of the British 
Navy — the Leander, out of her 268 serviceable men and 
boys, lost 35 killed, and 57 wounded. Among the 
latter were her captain, severely, and Captain Ben y, 



AN OBSTINATE DEFENCE. 197 

slightly injured. Altogether, one-third of her crew- 
were put liors de combat. The Genereux suffered terribly, 
having between 90 and 100 slain, and 188 wounded; a 
significant proof of the obstinacy with which this action 
was fought by the British. It may have been a feeling 
of soreness at the heavy loss inflicted by so insignificant 
an opponent that induced the ofiicers, and even the 
captain of the Genereux, to treat their prisoners with 
brutal harshness. They robbed them of almost all their 
eff'ects ; and it was with difficulty they could be brought 
to consent that their surgeon should dress Captain 
Thompson's severe wounds. This ill-treatment con- 
tinued even after the Genereux and her prize had arrived 
at Corfu, where several of "the Leanders" were de- 
tained after the rest had received their parole. When, 
at a later period, the Genereux was blockaded there by 
a Turco-Kussian squadron, her captain, Lejoille, en- 
deavoured to persuade them to assist him in cutting his 
way through the blockading ships. " No, you French 
rascal !" cried one of the maintop men ; " give us back 
our little ship, and we'll fight you again till we sink." 

After enduring much brutal oppression, Captains 
Thompson and Berry, with most of their officers, were 
allowed to return to England on parole. A court- 
martial was held on the 17th of December, at Sheer- 
ness, to inquire into the circumstances attending the 
capture of the Leander. The sentence could but bear 
one character, and accordingly, it declared that "the 
gallant and almost unprecedented defence of Captain 
Thompson, of His Majesty's late ship Leander, against 
so superior a force as that of the Genereux, is deserving 
of every praise his country and this court can give ; and 
that his conduct, with that of the officers and men under 
his command, reflects not only the highest honour on 
himself and them, but on their country at large." Captain 
Thompson soon afterwards received, what he so justly 
merited, the honour of knighthood from his sovereign. 

In the following year, on the 3rd of March, Corfu 



198 HECAPTURE OF THE ** CLEOPATrwi." 

surrendered to a Tiirco - Eussian squadron, and the 
Leander falling into the hands of the Emperor of Eussia, 
was by him restored to England. 

With one more incident in the Leander's career we 
may close our story. 

On the 16th of February 1805, when in lat. 28° N., 
long. 67° AV., the British 12-pounder 32-gun frigate 
Cleopatra, Captain Sir Eobert Laurie, Bart., gave chase 
to the French Ville- de-Milan, a frigate of 46 gnins, and 
brought her to action about noon on the 17th. Not- 
withstanding the preponderance in favour of the Ville- 
de-Milan, the Cleojpatra fought her with the most 
determined bravery, nor did she surrender until a 
fourth of her crew was disabled, her sails and rigging 
shattered, her masts wounded, and she lay an almost 
defenceless hulk at the mercy of her opponent. The 
gallantry of the defence, which lasted upwards of 
three hours, will be best understood from the following 
comparison of the relative strength of the two ships : — 
Cleojpatra, 19 broadside guns, throwing 282 lbs. weight 
of shot, — 200 men and boys, — 689 tons: Ville-de-Milan, 
23 broadside guns, throwing 340 lbs. weight of metal, 
— 350 men and boys, — and 1097 tons. The Cleopatra 
had 22 killed, and 36 wounded. 

The French frigate and her prize now made the best 
of their way for a French port ; but on the 23rd the 
Leander hove in sight, and instantly made sail in pursuit. 
The Cleopatra received a shot from one of the maindeck 
guns, and then hauled down her colours ; the Ville-de- 
Milan did not even wait for a single shot, but surrendered 
on the approach of the Leander, who, with her two prizes, 
then sailed for England, where she arrived in safety. 

This is one of those heroic actions which, as surely as 
a great victory or successful enterprise, reflect undying 
lustre upon the annals of the British Navy. Such a 
defeat is more honourable than many a victory, and is 
as worthy of a nation's gratitude. 



199 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE STORY OF THE ''DREADNOUGHT." 

[Time of Service : From 1803 to 1860. 
^ Strength : 2,119 tons, 98 guns, and 750 men.] 

*' An order is blown from ship to ship ; 
AH round and round it rings ; 
And each sailor is sthred 
By the warlike word, 
And his jacket he downwards flings. 

J' What follows?— a puff, and a flash of light, 
And the booming of a gun ; 

And a scream, that shoots 

To the heart's red roots, 
And we know that a fight's begun." — Barry CornwalL 

O.x the 17tli o£ May 1803, Admiral the Honourable 
AVilliam Cornwallis, having his flag on board the new 
98 -gun ship Dreadnought ^ sailed from Cawsand Bay, with 
a fleet of ten men-of-war and frigates, to cruise off 
Ushant, and observe the movements of the French ships 
lying in Brest Harbour. On the 9 th of July the admiral 
shifted his flag to the 112-gun ship Ville-de-Paris, but 
the Breadnouglit still continued to form a part of the 
blockading squadron, and such was the vigilance of the 
English admiral that summer waned into autumn, and 
autumn died away into Vv^inter, and yet the French fleet 
durst make no attempt to put to sea. One Christmas- 
day, however, the violent south-west winds, which with 
but few short intervals had blown for several weeks, 
had increased to such a hurricane that the blockading 
ships were constrained to withdraw from tlieir posts of 
observation, and retire for safety into their various 
ports. 



200 collingwood's flag-ship. 

In 1805 tlie Dreadnought was selected by Vice-Admiral 
CoUingwood as his flag-ship, and with two other sail of 
the line cruised for many months in the Yicinity of 
Cadiz and Gibraltar. On the 20th of August, CoUing- 
wood was driven from his cruising-ground by the arrival 
of the Franco- Spanish fleet of 29 sail of the line, under 
Vice-Admiral Villeneuve ; but being joined at midnight 
by the 70-gun ship Mars, he gallantly resumed his 
station off Cadiz, though in that famous harbour lay 
ViUeneuve's fleet, and six other Spanish ships previously 
at anchor there. 

On the 22nd of August CoUingwood was reinforced 
by four sail of the line under Eear- Admiral Bickerton, 
whose ill health, however, constrained him to return 
immediately to England. On the 30th, Sir Eobert 
Calder joined with eighteen line-of-battle ships, and 
thus reinforced CoUingwood continued to blockade 
Villeneuve in Cadiz Harbour, until the evening of the 
28th of September, when Lord Nelson arrived to assume 
the chief command. He brought with him the Victor^/, 
Ajax, and Thunderer, which, with five sail of the line 
under Eear- Admiral Louis, augmented the British fleet 
to 27 men-of-war. On the 7th of October, the Defiance 
arrived, and on the 8th the Leviathan ; but Eear- Ad- 
miral Louis and his squadron having been despatched 
by Nelson to Gibraltar for provisions and water, the 
British fleet was now reduced to 24 ships. Between 
the 9th and 13th it was increased to 29 by the arrival 
of the Boyal Sovereign, Belleisle, Africa, and Agamemnon ; 
and again reduced to 27 by the departure of Sir Eobert 
Calder in the Prince of Wales for England, and the 
Donegal for Gibraltar. CoUingwood now shifted his 
flag from the Dreadnought, which was a remarkably dull 
sailer, to the 100-gun shipJjRo2/aZ Sovereign, taking with 
him Captain Eotherham, whose place on board the 
Dreadnought was filled by Captain John Conn, a gallant 
and zealous oflicer. 

The particulars of the great victory of Trafalgar we 



BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR. 201 

have already narrated, and we have here only to concern 
ourselves with the share which the Dreadnought bore in 
that memorable battle. Owing to her slow rate of sail- 
ing, she did not get into action until about two p.m., 
or nearly two hours after the Boyal Sovereign had fired 
her first broadside, and she then engaged the San Juan 
Nepomuceno^ a Spanish 74, then surrounded by the Frin- 
cipe<le-Asturias, San Justo, and the French 80 -gun ship 
Indomitable. The San Juan had already been engaged 
by the Defiance, Tonnant, and Belleroplion, and was ill 
able to contend for any length of time with the powerful 
English three-decker. After a few terrific broadsides, 
the Dreadnought ran aboard of her, and in fifteen minutes' 
time the Spanish flag was struck, and the union-jack 
flung out its victorious folds. The Dreadnought then 
pushed ahead to grapple with the Frincipe-de-Asturias, 
a Spanish 112-gun ship, and opened fire upon her; but 
after exchanging two or three broadsides, in the course 
of which the Spanish Admiral Gravina lost his left arm, 
the Principe crowded on all sail, and contrived to effect 
her escape from heT dangerous opponent. 

In these engagements the Dreadnought had her masts 
riddled with shot, but none cut away. She lost 6 sea- 
men and 1 marine killed ; a lieutenant, 2 midshipmen, 
19 seamen, and 4 marines wounded. Her prize, the 
San Juan, was dismasted, and terribly shattered in the 
hull, and her loss in killed and wounded amounted to 
nearly 300. The Principe-de-Asturias, in her contest 
with the Dreadnought, and other British ships, had her 
masts so damaged that the next gale carried away both 
the main and mizen, and she lost 40 men killed and 107 
badly wounded. Admiral Gravina's arm was amputated, 
but he speedily sank under his sufferings. 

In September 1810, the Dreadnought was cruising off 
the coast of France, under the flag of Kear- Admiral 
Sotheby, when she received intelligence (on the 7th) 
that a ship was among the rocks on the west side of 
.Ushant. Making all sail to the eastward, she dis- 



202 A BOAT ATTACK'. 

covered, at dusk, on the following day, a vessel Ij'ing at 
anclior in a small creek; and Eear-Admiral Sotheby 
determined upon cutting her out with his boats as soon 
as morning dawned. 

At daybreak, therefore, on the 9th, seven boats, well 
armed and fully manned, were despatched under the 
orders of Lieutenant Thomas Pettmann. On approach- 
ing within gunshot of the shore, they were met with a 
heavy fire of musketry from a body of troops lying 
perdu among the rocks, and two 4-pounder field-pieces 
mounted on the beach. But the sight of the French 
soldiers, and the rattle of their guns, served but to lend 
fresh energy to the British, who bent to their oars with 
a will, and pulled, in face of the swift and crashing fire, 
towards the ship, up whose sides they swarmed in a 
moment, flung themselves on her deck, overpowered 
her crew, and hauled down her colours. Immediately, 
from a precipice which almost overhung the ship, swept 
the fire of 600 soldiers, pouring into the boats and 
rattling along the vessel's deck, while the British could 
but reply with the ineffectual shot of an 18-pounder 
carronade. Two of the boats drifted ashore, but the 
British still held possession of their prize, and got her 
out of the creek, though with a loss of not less than 6 
killed, 31 wounded, and 6 missing. She proved to be a 
Spanish merchant-ship, the Maria Antonia, who had been 
captured by a French privateer but a few days pre- 
viously. The latter lay, *'an apparently unconcerned 
spectator " of the recapture, in another creek, at about 
a mile apart, but we do not find that Eear-Admiral 
Sotheby made any attempt upon her. 

In 1821, the Breadnouglit was converted into a 
hospital-ship for seamen . of all nations, and moored in 
the river Thames oif Greenwich. She fulfilled this 
service for upwards of thirty years, when her place was 
taken by the Caledonia, but the old name is still pre- 
served. The arrangements on board this floating hos- 
pital are admirably adapted to secure the comfort, and 




COLLINGWOOD. 

See THE STORY OF THE * DREADNOUGHT.'— Paje 202. 



THE FLOATING HOSPITAL. 203 

promote flie convalescence, of her inmates ; and sepa- 
rate wards are provided for fever cases and accidents, for 
the officers, the resident medical men, and attendants. 
Snpported by voluntary subscriptions, several foreign 
sovereigns contribute to its funds, which, it must be 
remembered, are administered for the benefit of seamen 
of all nations. Upwards of 80,000 sailors have been 
relieved on board since its establishment. Between 
2,500 and 3,000 are admitted every year, while medical 
advice and drugs are also placed at the disposal of 
about 2,000 out-patients. From ] 80 to 200 are gene- 
rally on board at one time ; and, from their varieties 
of race and language, they render a visit to the Floating 
Hospital an incident of no ordinary interest. Nor can 
the imagination fail to be impressed by this curious 
transformation of a vessel of war into an asylum for the 
diseased and feeble. The ports no longer frown with 
" fatal ordnance," but, neatly glazed and framed, admit 
the light of heaven upon the couch of the invalid or the 
convalescent. The deck is no longer trodden by the 
busy feet of armed men, but echoes beneath the faltering 
tread of the enfeebled seaman. Ko magazine of shot 
and shell and powder now occupies the hold. The only 
stores are provisions and drugs, and comforts and even 
luxuries, for the unfortunates whom she shelters. The 
war-ship, which in the old battle -time spoke from peak 
and stem and frowning broadside a message of defiance, 
now calmly lies on the gliding Thames to fulfil a 
mission of love and mercy; and beneath her union- 
jack the Lascar, and the Malay, and the Chinese, 
shuddering in the bleak freshness of our English 
climate, as well as the shrewd Greek of the Levant or 
the hardy sailor of the Xorthern Seas, find help in their 
need, and relief in their anguish. Therefore, let all true 
English boys, as they pass in the shadow of the noble 
vessel, exclaim, with earnest hearts, '' God speed the 
Ih'eadnougkt /" 



?04 



CHAPTEK XIV. 

THE STORY OF THE '' SHANNON." 

[Period of Service : Reign of George III. 
Strength : 38 guns, 306 men, andl,066 tons.] 

" And, as the war they did provoke. 
We'll pay them with our cannon ; 
Tlie first to do it will be Broke, 
In the gallant ship the Shannon,'* — Naval Chronicle, 

Of all contentions the strife which arises between 
father and child, or sister and brother, — between 
those of the same blood, — between hearts and minds 
linked together by the indissoluble ties of Nature, 
— has ever been regarded by mankind with the -utmost 
horror. Against household treason or domestic enmity 
the soul instinctively rebels, and we feel as if our 
common humanity were outraged by crimes so unholy 
and unnatural. And so, too, civil war is of all warfare 
the most detestable, because it sets face to face in deadly 
array those who should be united by a community of 
language, religion, law, and sentiment. 

All thinking men, therefore, witnessed with regret 
the hostilities which broke out in 1812 between England 
and the United States. The apparent cause of quarrel 
was trivial. England, waging a desperate struggle for 
her very existence with armed Europe, whose resources 
were directed against her by the genius of Napoleon, 
was not able to be very delicate in the measures which 
she devised to protect her coasts and maintain her 
supremacy at sea. She, therefore, claimed the right to 
search American ships, and to take from them English 
sailors who had deserted from the Eoyal Navy, But as 



WAR WITA T^E united STAti!Si 205 

the iTiaiSne of the United States, then as now, was 
largely composed of Engiisli seamen, the *' right of 
search " threatened, if resolutely carried ont, to deal 
its prosperity a heavy blow. The American govern- 
ment, consequently, resolved to dispute it ; and selected, 
with happy shrewdness, the moment when the energies 
of her opponent were almost wholly absorbed in her 
desperate struggle with Imperial France. But they had 
another object, a richer prize, in view, — that prosperous 
and loyal Canada, upon which the American Eagle has 
always fixed so hungry an eye. No concessions which 
the British Government could honourably offer were 
able to appease the hostile spirit of the United States. 
They were determined to flesh their maiden sword 
against their mother-country, and trusted to aggrandise 
themselves at the expense of the great empiie which 
had bred and nurtured them. War was, therefore, 
declared against '' the United Kingdom of Great Britain 
and Ireland " on the 18th of June 1812. 

England had so long regarded her naval supremacy 
as indisputable, and had been rendered so confident by 
a long !^eries of ocean- victories, that at first she treated 
the American war with undisguised contempt. On the 
other hand, the Americans introduced into their military 
operations the same " smartness " which characterised 
their commercial dealings, and aware of the importance 
of damaging the world's belief in English invincibility, 
they quickly put to sea several powerful men-of-war, 
heavily armed, and fully manned, which they never- 
theless designated "frigates" and "sloops." It was, 
then, with a burst of indignation, wrath, and wonder 
that England heard of disgrace after disgrace, disaster 
upon disaster, — of English frigates captured by Ameri- 
can frigates, and English sloops by American sloops, 
until it seemed as if the boasted prowess of our sailors 
had suddenly disappeared, and the knell of England's 
power was to be rung by her youthful and aggressive 
offspring. The war-spirit which had hitherto slumbered 



206 DESCRIPTION OF THE '^ SHANNON.^' 

in the Saxon heart shot up into a sudden flame, and 
from north to south, and east to west, went forth the 
cry that the honour of England must be avenged. It 
was while public feeling was thus unnaturally excited 
that a single ship restored the old and just belief in 
our maritime renown. That ship was the frigate 
Shannon, whose gallant encounter with the Chesapeake 
is one of the most stirring episodes in all our naval 
history. 

The Shannon was a fine frigate, of 38 guns, and 
1,066 tons, commissioned in September 1806 by Captain 
Philip Bowes Vere Broke, — an officer of acknowledged 
merit, and not only of dauntleso courage but of great 
experience. Battles are not won by mere valour alone. 
The arms win little, if the brain does not direct. And 
Captain Broke, from the day he entered on the command 
of the Shannon, was not content to trust only to the 
undoubted pluck of English sailors, but by constant 
exercise and steady discipline he rendered them effective 
gunners and skilful swordsmen. 

After several years' service in the Channel and Me- 
diterranean the Shannon, in August 1811, was ordered 
to the North American station. She was there when 
the war broke out; and as the news of successive 
captures of English ships reached her gallant captain's 
ears, ardently did he long for an opportunity of proving 
what English seamen could do, if the terms were not 
too unequal, and they were efficiently led. No oppor- 
tunity, however, presented itself for many months. 

On the 21st March 1813, Captain Broke sailed from 
Halifax in company with a frigate of the same size, the 
Tensdos, commanded by an equally zealous officer. 
Captain Hyde Parker. Looking into Boston Harbour, 
the two British captains saw to their great delight the 
two heavily-armed United States' frigates, the President 
and the Congress, ready for sea. Notwithstanding the 
disparity of force they resolved if possible to engage 
the Americans, and took up a station off the harbour to 



THE AMEBICAN FPJGATE. 207 

intercept their escape. Meanwhile, by another channel, 
the American 36-gun frigate ChesapeaJce had run into 
port. 

During a thick fog, on the 1st of May, the two Ameri- 
cans contrived to elude the vigilance of their sentinels 
and put ont to sea ; and the English captains had the 
mortification of finding only the ChesapeaJce left in 
harbour. They were too brave to think of opposing 
their united strength to a single frigate, and, moreover, 
it was evident that the Chesapeake would hardly venture 
from her place of shelter to encounter two British ships 
of war. Captain Broke, therefore, as senior officer, 
ordered the Tenedos to proceed on a cruise, with in- 
structions not to rejoin him until the 14th of June. 

Let us now compare the relative strength of the two 
frigates — the watcher and the watched. We take our 
details from the admirable Naval History of Mr. 
James : — 

COiffAEATIYE FOECE OF THE TwO FkIGATES. 

Shannon, English, ChesapeaJce, American, 
Captain P. V. Broke. Captain Lawrence. 

Broadside gims ... 25 25 

Weight of metal . . 538 lbs. 590 lbs. 

Crew (men only; . . 306 I 376 

Size, in tons . . . 1,066 1,135 

The superiority, therefore, such as it was, decidedly 
rested with the American vessel, which not only threw 
a heavier broadside but made use of star, and chain 
shot, and other missiles, to which the English never 
resorted. Of the American crew it may be added, 
eleven-twelfths — an unusual proportion — were native 
Americans. 

The Shannon continued cruising in Boston Eoads 
during the month of May, her gallant captain receiving 
no answer to the numerous verbal challenges he had 
despatched to Captain Lawrence. On the first of June 
he resolved to send a message in writing, apprehending 



208 CAPTAIN BUOKE^S LETTER, 

that tlie verbal messages had miscarried. He accord* 
ingly addressed the following remarkable letter to the 
captain of the Chesapeake : — 

" On board the Shannon, June 1, 1813. 
*' Sir, 

*' As the Chesapeake appears now ready for sea, 
I request you will do me the favour to meet the Shannon 
with her, ship to ship, to try the fortune of our respective 
flags. 

'' The Shannon mounts 24 guns upon her broadside, 
and one light boat gun, — 18-pounders upon her main 
deck, and 32-pound carronades on her quarter-deck and 
forecastle, — and is manned with a complement of 300 
men and boys, besides 30 seamen, boys, and passengers, 

who were taken out of recaptured vessels lately. 
^ ^ ■jp' ■j^ ^ 

" T entreat you, sir, not to imagine that I am urged 
by mere personal vanity to the wish of meeting the 
Chesapeake, or that I depend only upon your personal 
ambition for your acceding to this invitation. We have 
both noble motives. You will feel it as a compliment 
if I say that the result of our meeting may be the most 
grateful service I can render to my country; and I 
doubt not that you, equally confident of success, will 
feel convinced that it is only by repeated triumphs in 
even comhats that your little navy can now hope to 
console your country for the loss of that trade it can no 
longer protect. 

" Favour me with a speedy reply. We are short of 
provisions and water, and cannot stay longer here. 

*' Philip Bowes Veke Broke." 

*' To Captain James Lawrence, U.S.N., 
of the Chesajpeake,'' 

This letter was intrusted to one Captain Slocum, a 
discharged prisoner, but it never reached Captain Law- 
rence, for shortly after he had quitted the Shannon,-^ 



THE ''CHESAPEAKE" VENTURES OUT. 209 

which, with colours flying, stood in close to Boston 
lighthouse, and lay to, — the Chesapeahe was observed to 
get under way, and sail out of the harbour with a fair 
wind, accompanied by numerous pleasure-boats, whose 
occupants anticipated the luxury of seeing a British 
frigate captured. The captain of the CJiesapealce, Captain 
Lawrence, was a good sailor and a gallant man, and 
had already distinguished himself while in command of 
the Hornet by capturing the British 18-gun brig Peacock, 
His crew was composed of picked men, who had sailed 
together for upwards of two years ; and consequently 
the good people of Boston looked upon an easy triumph 
as certain, and prepared to celebrate their victory by 
illuminations and bonfires. 

From noon to five o'clock p.m. was occupied in various 
manoeuvres, which brought the two ships out at sea^ 
Boston lighthouse bearing west, distant about six 
leagues. The Shannon now hauled up, with her head to 
the southward and eastward, and lay-to, under light sail, 
for the ChesapeaJce to come within range. She carried at 
the fore a union-ja-ck, " an old rusty blue ensign at the 
mizen peak," and, in case either of these should be shot 
away, an ensign on the main stay and another in the 
main rigging, all rolled up and stopped, in readiness to 
be cast loose. The Chesajpeahe was very gay with 
bunting : she had three ensigns flying, at the mizen 
royal mast-head, at the peak, and in the main rigging, 
while at the fore she displayed a large white flag, in- 
scribed '' Sailors' Eights and Free Trade," — a commer- 
cial motto which the Americans deemed sufficient to 
shake the allegiance of British seamen. 

At forty minutes past five. Captain Lawrence brought 
his frigate within about fifty yards of the Shannons star- 
board quarter, squared his mainyard, and gave three 
cheers. At fifty minutes, the action begun, the first 
shot being fired from the Shannon, followed by a 
dropping fire, until at the thirteenth gun, the Chesapeake 
tQok up the dreadful game, and both ships poured in 



210 A GALLANT FIGHT/ 

their broadsides with, a fearful crash. The efficiency of 
the Shannon's crew, in gunnery, now amply rewarded 
Captain Broke for the labour he had bestowed npon 
their instruction. Every shot made its mark, and the 
steersmen of the Chesapeake being killed, she fell so 
sharp to the wind as completely to lay her open to the 
sweep of the Shannon's fire. The shot ponred along 
her unprotected deck, crashing in her stern ports, and 
driving the men from their quarters. 

At this stage of the battle it seemed as if the Chesa- 
peahe was attempting to haul off from her dangerous 
opponent, whom she found a more difficult morsel to 
digest than she had anticipated. To prevent this 
manoeuvre, Captain Broke luffed up nearer to her, but 
losing the jib-stay was unable to w^ar round, and con- 
sequently the two ships fell aboard one another. This 
occurred at six o'clock p.m. 

'' Captain Broke" — to use the words of the historian 
James—'' now ran forward; and observing the Chesa^ 
peahe's men deserting the quarter-deck guns, he ordered 
the two ships to be lashed together, the great guns to 
cease firing, the main-deck boarders to be called, and 
Lieutenant Watt, then first lieutenant, to bring up the 
quarter-deck men, who were all boarders. While zea- 
lously employed outside the bulwark of the Shannon, 
making the Chesapeahe fast to her, the veteran boatswain, 
Mr. Stevens (he had fought in Kodney's action), had 
his left arm hacked off with repeated sabre cuts, and 
was mortally wounded by musketry. The midship- 
man commanding on the forecastle was also mortally 
wounded." Accompanied by the remaining forecastle 
party, about twenty in number. Captain Broke, at 6 h. 
2 m. P.M., leaped upon the quarter-deck of the United 
States' frigate. 

Neither officer nor seaman was met with upon the 
quarter-deck, but in the gangways about thirty Americans 
were collected, who offered a slight resistance. These 
were soon driven by the British cutlasses towards the 




BEOKE. 

SeeTHE STORY OF THE 'SHANNON.'— Pa^e 210. 



THE ** CHESAPEAKE " BOARDED. 211 

forecastle. Some attempted to escape down the fore- 
hatchway, several fled over the bow, and others leaped 
into the sea. The remainder gave up their arms, and 
acknowledged themselves prisoners. 

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Watt and Lieutenant Fal- 
kiner, with a party of marines and seamen, had followed 
Captain Broke in his daring adventure. Just as Lieu- 
tenant Watt stepped on the Chesajpeahe' s taftrail he was 
shot in the foot, but quickly recovering himself, he 
ordered Lieutenant Johns, of the Marines, to point one 
of the Shannons nine-pounders at the enemy's top. 
Lieutenant Falkiner, with his marines, during this 
incident, had rushed forward to keep back those of the 
Americans, who were attempting to force a passage by 
the main hatchway ; while another party replied to the 
destructive musketry which was falling upon them from 
the Chesapeake's main and mizen tops. But two of the 
Shannons midshipmen, with five topmen, soon drove the 
enemy from those advantageous positions. 

After the Americans upon the forecastle had surren- 
dered, Captain Broke placed a sentry over them, and 
despatched the rest of his men aft, where a contest 
was still being maintained. Yv^hile giving some neces- 
sary orders,- the sentry cried out to him to be on his 
guard, and the Captain, turning round, discovered that 
three of the Americans had treacherously armed them- 
selves afresh, and were preparing to attack him. He 
parried the pike of one of them, and dealt him a wound 
in the face, but another struck him a blow with the 
butt-end of a musket, which bared his skull, and nearly 
stunned him. The third took advantage of his defence- 
lessness to cut him down with his broadsword, but was 
himself cut down and slain, immediately afterwards, by 
Mindham, one of the Shannon's seamen. Mr. Smith, a 
midshipman, Mindham, and another now helped their 
commander on his legs, and Mindham, while binding 
round his bleeding head a handkerchief, pointed aft, 
and cried, " Hurrah, sir., hurrah ! Yonder goes up the 

o 2 



212 VICTORY OF THE ENGLISH. 

brave old ensign over the Yankee colours!" Yes: 
the Chesa^eaJce was the prize of the English frigate 
Shannon. 

It is singular that this act of victory, the hoisting of 
the British over the American colours, should have 
proved fatal to the Shannons lieutenant, and at the 
hands of his own countrymen ! Lieutenant Watt, after 
recovering from the sudden shock of his wound, hailed 
the Shannon, and directed her to level a nine-pounder at 
the American frigate's mizen-top. He then called for 
an English ensign, and hauling down the American 
colours, bent the English flag below instead of above it, 
the halliards being tangled. Wlien the Shannon's crew 
observed the Stripes and Stars ascending first, they 
naturally re-opened their fire, and aiming their guns 
" with their accustomed precision," unfortunately killed 
the gallant Watt, and four or five of their comrades. 
The mistake was soon rectified, but this grievous loss 
could not be repaired. 

The final incidents of this famous fight are thus 
recorded by Mr. James :— 

** An unexpected fire of musketry," he says, " opened 
by the Americans who had fled to the hold, killed a fine 
young marine, William Young. On this. Lieutenant 
Ealkiner, who was sitting on the booms, very properly 
directed three or four muskets, that were ready, to be 
fired down. Captain Broke, from his seat upon a car- 
ronade-slide, told Lieutenant Falkiner to summon the 
Americans in the hold to surrender, if they desired 
quarter. The lieutenant did so. The Americans re- 
plied, ' We surrender ;' and all hostilities ceased. The 
Shannon was now about one hundred yards astern of the 
Chesapeake, or rather upon her larboard quarter. To 
enable the Shannon to close. Captain Broke ordered the 
Chesapeake's main-yard to be braced flat aback, and her 
foresail to be hauled close up. Almost immediately 
afterwards Captain Broke's senses failed him from loss 
of blood : and the Shannon's jolly-boat just then arriving 



fuhtheh details. 213 

with a fresli supply of men, he was conveyed on board 
his own ship." 

This action was fought in ahout twenty minutes, and 
from the first the chances were all in favour of the English 
frigate, which was skilfully as well as gallantly handled 
by Captain Broke. Captain Lawrence, of the ChesajpeaJce, 
was mortally wounded at the very commencement, 
and the loss in killed and wounded sustained by the 
Americans in so short an action was terrible. Out of a 
crew of 386 men and boys, she lost, according to the 
American account, 47 killed, besides her first and 
fourth lieutenants and her captain and 11 others, 
mortally wounded ; and 99 wounded, though the total 
that reported themselves more or less injured to the 
Shannon's surgeon were actually 115. Altogether, 160 
to 170, or more than three-eighths of her crew, were 
placed Jiors de combat. The Shannon'' s aggregate was 83, 
or one-fourth, put hors de comhat out of a crew of 330 
men and boys ; that is, 24 killed and 59 wounded. 

The Americans were well aware that most of the 
successes of the British against foreign vessels of a 
superior force had been obtained by their alacrity and 
elan in boarding. To prevent such a catastrophe (which, 
after all, took place) on board the Chesapeake, a barrel 
of unslacked lime with the head open w^as stationed on 
the forecastle, that the Americans might fling it by 
handfuls in the faces of their antagonists. But, by a 
just retribution, one of the first shot fired by the 
Shannon struck the cask, and hurled its contents " over 
the faces and into the eyes " of the projectors of this 
nefarious contrivance. 

Having repaired the damages done to both vessels, 
the English frigate and her prize made sail for Halifax, 
whose noble harbour they entered on the 6th, with 
colours flying, and amid the hearty cheers of the inha- 
bitants. Here Captain Lawrence was buried with all 
the honours so gallant a seaman deserved; but a few 
weeks later, the body was removed, by permission of 



214 ' MOEAL EFFECTS OF THE VICTORY. ' 

tlie British government, to be interred in its native 
conntiy. 

The moral effect of this memorable action, both in 
England and America, was immense : it restored con- 
fidence to the public mind of Great Britain, while it 
proved to the Americans that they were by no means 
able to contend with English sailors when the terms 
were at all equal. We do not doubt but that if a parri- 
cidal war should again — which God forbid ! — break out 
between the mother-country and the commonwealth 
nurtured of her strength and bred from her loins, our 
seamen would still maintain the honour of the Eed 
Cross, and repeat, if necessary, that gallant encounter 
between the Shannon and the CJiesajpeaJce, which, in the 
stirring times of the great war, fired with patriotic 
ardour the hearts of our forefathers, and reasserted our 
sovereignty of the seas ! 

We condense, from Mr. James's pages, the following 
Summary of the principal actions fought at sea between 
the English and the Americans in the war of 1812-1816. 
It is not without a moral, if attentively considered : — ■ 

1812. June 23. — Between the Belvidera, English, 
36 guns, 946 tons, and 230 men; and the President, 
American, 56 guns, 1540 tons, and 475 men, accompanied 
by the 36-gun frigate Congress. After a severe action, and 
a fifteen hours' chase, the Belvidera got into Halifax. 

August 13. — The Essex, American, 46 guns, 328 men,- 
and 827 tons, and the English 16-gun ship-sloop Alert, 
86 men. The Alert was captured. 

August 19. — The Guerriere, 48 guns, English, and 
the American frigate Constitution, The Guerriere was 
captured. Here is a table of the comparative force of 
the combatants :— Guerriere, Constitution. 

Broadside guns .... 24 28 

Weight of metal . . . 517 lbs. 768 lbs. 

Crew (men only) . . . 244 460 

Tonnage 1,092 1,533 



ACTIONS BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND AMERICANS. 215 

October 18. — Between the Frolic, English, 18-gnn 
sloop, and the American TFasp, 18 gun sloop. The 
Frolic was captured, after severe fighting. Eelative 
force, as follows : — 

Frolic, Wasp, 

Broadside gims ... 9 9 

Weight of metal. . . 262 lbs. 268 lbs. 

Crew 92 138 

Tonnage 384 434 

After the action the 74:-gun ship Poictiers, English, 
hove in sight, recaptured the Frolic, and ca^ptured the 
Wasp. 

October 12. — The American frigate United States, 56 

guns, and the British Macedonian, 48 guns. After a 

desperate action, in which the Macedonian lost 36 killed 

and 68,wormded, she was compelled to surrender to her 

powerful opponent, which, though called a frigate, 

was in reality a formidable man-of-war. Eelative 

force ' 

Macedonian. United States, 

Broadside guns ... 24 28 

Weight of metal . . 528 lbs. 864 lbs. 

Crew 254 474 

Tonnage 1,081 1,533 

December 29. — The English 4:6-gun frigate Java, and 
the American Constitution, 56 guns. The Java had a 
crew of 397 men and boys, mostly inexperienced lands- 
men, who had never before been at sea. The Con- 
stitidion was manned by 460 able seamen. The Java 
was captured. 

1813. February 14. — Between the American Hornet 
and British Peacock, The latter was sunk. Eelative 
force : Peacoch, Hornet. 

Broadside guns .... 9 10 

Weight of metal . . . 192 lbs. 297 lbs. 

Crew 110 162 

Tonnage 386 460 



216 ACTIONS Between TiiE English aitI) ame^ican^. 

June 1. —-Between the 'Englh'h Shannon, and American 
Chesapeake, as already detailed. 

August 12. — Between the British Pelican, 18 guns, 
and the American Argus, 20 guns. Crew of the former, 
101 men and 12 boys ; of the latter, 122 men and 3 boys. 
The American was captured. 

September 5. — Between the English 14-gun brig- 
sloop Boxer, and the American 16 -gun brig Enterprise ; 
the former was captured. The English crew consisted 
of only 60 men and 6 boys ; the American, 120 men. 

1814. March 28. — Between the American 32-gun 
frigate Essex, and the British 36-gun frigate Phoebe. 
The Essex was captured. 

April 29.— Between the British 18-gun brig-sloop 
Epervier, and the American 22-gun ship-sloop Peacock, 
Tlie Epervier had but 101 men on board, including 
blacks and foreigners ; the Peacoclc had a crew of 185 
picked seamen. The Epervier was captured. 

June 28th. — Between the British 18-gun brig-sloop 
Beindeer, and the American 22-gun ship-sloop Wasp, 
After a most heroic defence, the Beindeer was captured. 

September 1. — Between the British 18-gun brig- 
sloop Avon, and the American 22-gun ship-sloop Wasp. 
The Avon had but 104 men on board. She was sunk in 
the action, but her crew saved by the British 18-gun 
brig-sloop Castilian, on whose arrival on the scene the 
Wasp made all sail in escape. 

February 23. — Between the 46-gun frigate Pique, 
with a crew of 284 men, and the American Constitution, 
56 guns, and^480 men. The Constitution escaped. 
' 1815. January 15. — Between the American frigate 
President and the English Endymion, accompanied by 
the Pomone and Tenedos. The action was fought by the 
Endymion, but the President surrendered to the Pomone. 
The President's broadside-guns were 28, throwing 
metal of the weight of 852 lbs. ; and her crew consisted 
of 465 men. The Endymion' s 24 broadside-guns only 
threw 664 lbs., and she had but 319 men. 



217 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE STORY OF THE "VICTORY." 

[Period of Service : 1765 to 1863. 
Stren^h : 102 guns, 2164 tons, and 841 men.] 

" Heav'n that hath plac'd this island to give law, 
To balance Europe, and its states to awe, 
In this conjunction doth on Britain smile, 
The greatest leader, and the greatest isle." — Waller. 

The Victory, a three-decker, nominally carrying 100, 
but really 102 guns, and of 2,164 tons burthen, was 
launched in 1765 ; but we shall commence our story of 
her career in 1793, when Vice- Admiral Lord Hood 
hoisted his flag on board of her in command of a power- 
ful fleet destined to act in the Mediterranean. This 
fleet consisted of two 100-gun ships (the Victory and 
the Britannia), three 98's, twelve 74's, and four 64's, 
besides frigates and sloops. It was more immediately 
destined against Toulon, where the authorities of Eevolu- 
tionary France had got ready for sea an armada of 
seventeen sail of the line (one 120-gun ship, one 80, 
and fifteen 74's), besides corvettes, frigates, and brigs ; 
and where, it was known, four sail of the line (a 120, an 
80, and two 74:'s) were refitting, two 80's and seven 74's 
repairing, and two or three others building. But the 
British Govemment were aware that in Toulon itself 
there existed a strong feeling of loyalty towards the 
exiled Bourbons, that the chief in command of the 
French fleet was a monarchist, and that the crews of 
several ships were influenced by anti-republican sympa- 
thies. This division of parties encouraged the Govern- 
ment to furnish Lord Hood with full powers for the 



218 THE BRITISH AT TOULO^JT. ' 

occupation of Toulon, and the effectual assistance of the 
Bourbonist faction. 

After some preliminary negotiations, tlie French fleet 
was handed over to the British admiral, and Toulon 
occupied by British troops, who were speedily reinforced 
by detachments of Eoyalist emigrants, Spaniards, Sar- 
dinians, and Neapolitans. The French Eepublic, how- 
ever, was indisposed to permit so opulent a city and so 
important a harbour to remain in the possession of the 
Allies, and soon assembled, for their recapture, a power- 
ful force, whose artillery was imder the direction of 
a young officer, as yet unknown to France herself, but 
soon to be feared and wondered at by all Euro|30, 
Napoleon Bonaparte. The besieging army, under 
General Dugommier, numbered not less than 45,000 
men. The English and their allies could scarcely 
muster 13,000, and these had to be distributed over a 
line of defence exceeding fifteen miles in length. After 
various disasters, an attack in force, made by the French 
on the night of the 17th, forced the British to retire 
towards the shore, and it soon became evident that 
Toulon was no longer tenable. Lord Hood, and his 
colleagues, accordingly determined upon its evacuation, 
which was effected without loss, — 14,877 Toulonese 
(men, women, and children) being received on board the 
British ships for removal to England. The magazines, 
storehouses, and -shipping were destroyed by fire — a 
dangerous service skilfully performed by the heroic Sir 
Sidney Smith — and fifteen ships of war, of different 
dimensions, were carried awa}^ as trophies by the British. 

After the evacuation of Toulon, the Victory and the 
rest of the fleet lay in the Bay of H3^eres, taking on 
board supplies of wine and provisions. While remain- 
ing in this anchorage, Lord Hood received information 
which induced him to believe that Corsica might easily 
be recovered from the French Eepublicans ; and as the 
harbour of San Fiorenzo was one of great value as a point 
of rendezvous for British squadrons in the Mediterra- 



CAPTURE OF BASTIA. * 219 

nean, Lord Hood and Major-General Dundas determined, 
with the troops on board the fleet, to attempt the enter- 
prise. It was known that a powerful party in Corsica, 
headed by General Paoli, would receive the British 
with an enthusiastic welcome ; and accordingly, on the 
24th of January 1794, the fleet, consisting of sixty sail, 
including transports, weighed antihor and steered for 
the Bay of San Fiorenzo. 

On the 25th they encountered a violent storm, in 
which the Victory, and several of her companions, were 
seriously damaged, and, on the 29th, contrived to make 
the harbour of Porto Ferrajo, in the island of Elba. 
Three 74's, with the transports and two frigates, were 
then despatched to the west coast of Cor^ica. The 
troops, under Major-General Dundas, were landed, and 
after some fierce fighting the town of San Fiorenzo 
surrendered to the British ; thus rendering available for 
the British fleet one of the finest harbours in the Medi- 
terranean. 

Elate with this success. Lord Hood endeavoured to 
persuade Major-General Dundas to lay siege to Bastia, 
the principal city of Corsica ; but the design seeming 
impracticable to that pedantic pigtail, resolved upon 
m.aking the attempt with the fleet alone. On the 4th, 
he appeared- off" Bastia, and landed his marines and some 
other troops, and a detachment of seamen, nnder Cap- 
tain Horatio Nelson, numbering in all 1,248 officers and 
men, besides an equal force of Corsican Eoyalists, nnder 
General Paoli. On the 11th the British batteries opened 
fii'e. On the 21st of May, after a siege of forty-one 
days, the town and citadel, and the intrenchments on 
the neighbouring heights, surrendered, with a loss to 
the English of only 14 killed and 40 wounded or. 
missing. '' I am all astonishment," wrote Nelson, 
*'when I reflect on what we have achieved. 1,000 
regulars, 1,500 national guards, and a large body of 
Corsican troops, 4,000 in all, laying down their arms 
to 1,200 soldierS; marines, and seamen! I was always 



220 ANNEXATION OF CORSICA. 

of opinion, have ever acted up to it, and never had any 
reason to repent it, that one Englishman was equal to 
three Frenchmen. Had this been an English town, I 
am sure it would not have been taken by them." 

The capture of Calvi followed, where Nelson lost his 
eye. Corsica was united by a vote of its National 
Assembly to the crown of England, and Sir Gilbert 
Elliott took upon himself the government as His 
Majesty's viceroy. Meanwhile, Lord Hood, having 
received intelligence that the Toulon fleet had put to 
sea, left Corsica with thirteen sail of the line and four 
frigates in swift pursuit (June 5th), intrusting the con- 
duct of the operations on the Corsican coast to Nelson. 
Hood gained sight of the French on the 10th, and sig- 
nalled for the British fleet to make all sail in chase, but 
the enemy succeeded in getting into Gourjean Bay, 
where the British were prevented from following him 
by a succession of calms and adverse winds. Finding 
that he could neither get at the enemy, nor draw him 
from his shelter, Lord Hood left there a blockading 
force of nine line-of-battle ships and four frigates, and 
with the Victory, the Princess Boyal, and two 74's, re- 
turned to Calvi. There he was afterwards joined by 
Vice-Admiral Hotham, — the French squadron having 
eluded his vigilance, owing to the stormy state of the 
weather, — and early in November he returned home in 
the Victory, broken with the fatigues of a long and ex- 
hausting cruise. 

In the spring of the year 1795, the Victory, Captain 
Knight, was despatched with several other line-of-battle 
ships to augment the fleet, under Vice-Admiral Hotham, 
in the Mediterranean. They joined on the 14th of June, 
under the orders of Eear-Admiral Mann, w^ho was then 
on board the Cumberland, 74, but shifted his flag to the 
Victory on the 8th of July, when the whole British fleet 
made sail in pursuit of the French, under Vice-Admiral 
Martin. The latter had under his orders one 120-gun 



A MISERABLE ACTION. 221 

ship, two 80's, fourteen 74's, six frigates, and two cor- 
vettes : Hotliam, two lOO's, four 98's, one 80, fourteen 
74's, two 64's, three frigates, and three sloops — a 
decided preponderance of force, which ought to have 
secured the most decisive results. Hotham was " a 
good man," as Nelson said, but " took things too coolly." 
He had neither energy nor enterprise, and lacked that 
special qualification without which no man can become 
a hero, the courage to dare. 

On the loth, the French fleet was sighted off the 
Hyeres, endeavouring to escape under a press of sail. 
Admiral Hotham accordingly made the signal for a 
general chase, and for his ships to take up suitable 
positions for their mutual support, and engage the 
enemy as they came up with him in succession. British 
captains are never slow to obey these well-known sig- 
nals, and soon every vessel was reeling under all the 
canvas she could possibly carry. But they sailed so 
loosely that nearly six miles intervened between the 
van-ship and the reaiinost. 

At half-past twelve, the three French war-ships and 
the three most advanced of the British (the Victory, the 
Ciilloden, and the Cumberland) opened fire ; and the 
Cumberland, getting alongside of the Alcide, soon com- 
pelled her to surrender. The British ships, mean- 
while, were rapidly coming up, Tvhen to the surprise, 
ay, and to the disgust of their commanders, the admiral 
threw out the signal to discontinue the action. The 
Cumberland, who was now in the thick of the fight, 
would not see it, and twice it had to be repeated by 
the Victmy before she unwillingly obeyed it. In this 
''miserable action" the Victory lost five men killed and 
fifteen wounded. Nor did the British fleet bear away 
even a single trophy, for the Alcide, after she had 
struck, caught fire, and blew up, with the loss of fully 
half her crew. Had Kelson been commander-in-chief 
on this occasion, who doubts but that almost every ship 
of the enemy would have hauled down her colours 



222 SIR JOHN JERVIS. 

to tlie Britisli ? For twenty-tliree British line-of-battle 
ships to suffer seventeen Frencli to escape them was a 
disgrace of which the nation did not fail to show itself 
keenly sensible. Vice-Admiral Hotham was recalled, 
and strnck his flag on the 1st of November, being im- 
mediately succeeded in his command by Vice-Admiral 
Sir Hyde Parker. On the 20th, the fleet anchored in 
San Fiorenzo Bay, and on the 30th the Lively frigate 
arrived from England with Admiral Sir John Jervis 
on board as commander-in-chief on the Mediterranean 
station. Sir John shifted his flag to the Victory on 
the 3rd of December, and on the 13th sailed with 
his fleet for Toulon. During the remainder of the year 
he continued to cruise between that port and the Isle 
of Minorca. 

The year 1796 opened in cloud and shadow. The 
flres of war were rapidly embracing the whole civilized 
world in their fatal circle ; and England found herself 
called upon to make the most strenuous efforts if she 
would secure her ov»''n independence, and prevent half 
Europe from falling under the despotism of Eepublican 
France. Happily, she was well served by those in 
whom she put her trust, and by none better than by Sir 
John Jervis, who had already disciplined his fleet into 
a surprising and unwonted efficiency. 

"The day," says Mons. Jurien de la Graviere, ''on 
which Admiral Jervis hoisted his flag on board the 
Victory must ever be held memorable by the British 
navy as the starting-point whence its fleets commenced 
their career of conquest. Already illustrated by the 
combat of the Foudroyant and Pegase, Sir John Jervis 
had passed his sixtieth year, when he found himself in 
command of the Mediterranean fleet : still young in 
mind and in constitution, he had conceived the great 
project of an entire naval reform, and was firmly bent 
upon carrying out, on a large scale, the new principles 
that he had practised successfully towards the end of 



WAn WITH Sl'AIN^. 223 

the American war, in ihe Foudroyant. The Eiigliish 
navy has not forgotten with what feelings of deferential 
fear the young officers of that period, anxious to study a 
model so celebrated for order and discipline, were 
accustomed to present themselves on board that mag- 
nificent vessel, and encounter the severe and scrutiniz- 
ing eye of the stern baronet. To see all his captains 
emulating himself, and their ships on a par with the 
Foudroyant, was the ambition of Admiral Jervis when 
called to take the command in the Mediterranean." 

At the commencement of the year 1796, Sir John 
Jervis's fleet amounted to 18 sail of the line, 24 fri- 
gates, and numerous corvettes, brigs, and transports. 
The French had in Toulon 15 line-of-battle ships, 
besides three building ; and the Spanish at Carthagena, 
seven, which, as a hostile feeling towards England 
notoriously existed on the part of the Spanish govern- 
ment, required a squadron of observation. Seven ships, 
therefore, cruised off Cadiz, under Bear- Admiral Mann ; 
Kelson, in the 74-gun ship, Captain, with three frigates 
and two corvettes, was stationed in the Gulf of Genoa. 
Other detachments were away on special service, so that 
when Jervis sailed for Toulon his flag was followed by 
only thirteen vessels (January 7, 1796). 

In August of this year the rapjprocJiement between 
France and Spain, which had long been conspicuous, 
ripened into a formal treaty of alliance, by which Spain 
augmented her new ally's maritime power with 15 
sail of the line and 10 heavy frigates and corvettes. 
On the 5th of October, Spain entirely threw off the 
mask that had -so ill concealed her desigTis, and de- 
clared war against England. 

The British government, apprehensive that the com- 
bined fleets of France and Spain might crush Sir John 
Jervis's comparatively feeble squadron, sent out orders 
to their admiral to evacuate Corsica, and abandon the 
Mediterranean — a measnre, to say the least, of doubt- 
ful policy. The evacuation of Corsica was effected 



224 SIR JOHN JERVIS'S FLEET. 

under the able superintendence of Commodore Nelson ; 
and, on the 2nd of November, Sir John Jervis, with a 
fleet of fifteen sail of the line and some frigates, having 
on board the troops and stores embarked at Bastia, 
set sail from Mortella Bay, and on the 11th of the 
following month was riding in security under the guns 
of Gibraltar. On the 16th he steered for the Tagus, 
where he arrived with his effective force reduced by the 
departure of ships to England for repair, and on other 
service, to eleven sail of the line. 

On the 18th of January 1797, Sir John Jervis made 
for the mouth of the Tagus to escort some Brazilian 
and Portuguese traders out of danger, and to effect a 
junction with a reinforcement from England appointed 
to rendezvous off Cape St. Vincent. In going out 
of the river the St. George ran aground, and when 
once more got afloat, was found to have received da- 
mages that compelled her to return to England. With 
his remaining ten sail the British admiral proceeded 
to sea. 

On the 6th of February, the long-desired reinforce- 
ment joined him, and Sir John now found himself at 
the head of the following force : — Victory, 100, Admiral 
of the Blue Sir John Jervis, Captains Eobert Calder 
and George Grey ; Britannia, 100, Vice- Admiral Thomp- 
son, Captain Foley ; Barfleur, 98, Vice-Admiral Walde- 
grave. Captain Dacres ; Prince George, 98, Bear- Admiral 
Parker, Captain Irwin ; Blenheim, 98, Captain Fre- 
derick ; Namur, 90, Captain Whitbhed ; Cajptain, 74, 
Commodore Nelson, Captain Miller; Goliath, 74, Cap- 
tain Sir Charles Knowles ; Excellent, 74, Captain Col- 
lingwood ; Orion, 74, Sir James Saumarez ; Colossus, 
74, Captain Murray ; Egmont, 74, Captain Sutton ; CuU 
loden, 74, Captain Trowbridge ; Irresistible, 74, Captain 
Martin ; Diadem, 64, Captain Towry ; Minerve, frigate, 
38, Captain Cockburn ; Lively, 32, Captain Lord Gaiiies ; 
Niger, 32, Captain Foote ; Southampton, 32, Captain Mac- 
namara ; — besides two sloops and a cutter. 




JEEYIS (Eakl St. Yincent). 

See THE STORY OF THE 'VICTORY.*— Pa^/e 225. 



THE ADMIRAL AND HIS CAPTAIN. 225 

Sir John and his fleet now beat np to windward, in 
the hope of obtaining intelligence of the Spanish fleet, 
which had left Carthagena on the 1st, and was steering 
for Cadiz. The British admiral was soon gratified in 
his desire, for on the evening of the 13th his van-ships 
came in sight of the enemy. He instantly threw out 
the signal to prepare for battle, and keep in close order 
dnring the night. Meanwhile the wind changed, and 
the Spaniards, crowding on all sail, endeavoured to get 
near the land. 

The morning broke all dim and hazy, and the gigantic 
forms of the Spanish three-deckers loomed majestically 
through the gathering mist. It was soon perceived that 
Don Josef de Cordova's force consisted of no less than 
five- and-twenty men-of-war (one 130-gun ship, six 112 s, 
two 80's, and sixteen 74's), exclusive of twelve 34-gun 
frigates and a brig-corvette. It is said that as they 
were successively descried through the morning fogs, 
Captain Calder reported their numbers to his chief : 
"Ten sail of the line, Sir John."" " Yery well, sir." 
'' Fifteen sail of the line, Sir John." " Very well, sir." 
"Twenty sail of the line, Sir John." " Very well, 
sir." " Twenty-three sail of the line." Still the com- 
posed, " Very well, sir." " Captain Calder next counted 
" twenty-five," and, not unnaturally, intimated that 
there was some danger of defeat in attacking a force so 
vastly superior. " Enough, sir, enough," exclaimed the 
admiral, with a heavy frown, " were there fifty sail of 
the line, I'd go through them all !" Captain Hallowell, 
a passenger on board the Victory, was standing at that 
moment beside the admiral, and, carried by his enthu- 
siasm beyond all considerations of etiquette, he clapped 
his hands on the hero's shoulder, crying, " That's right, 
Sir John ; and, by Jove, we'll give them a sound good 
licking !" 

The British advanced in two compact lines, as steadily 
and statelily as if forming a procession at Spithead, 
into such admirable order had Jervis brought the 



226 THE '« CULLODEN.'* 

vessels placed under Ws command. But, on the other 
hand, the Spanish, owing to their loose method of sail- 
ing, had fallen into two groups, of which one was far 
away to leeward. Jervis at once detected the serions 
blunder of such a disposition, and resolved to cut off the 
six detached ships, and then attack the main body. 
Accordingly, at eleven a.m., on the memorable 14th of 
February, the signal was made for the British fleet to 
form in line of battle ahead and astern of the Victory 
as most convenient, and to steer S.S.W. ; a course that 
kept the enemy's lee, or detached division — consisting 
of one three-decker, with a vice-admiral's flag, five two- 
deckers, and a few frigates — upon the lee or larboard 
bow. 

The British fleet now stood close-hauled, on the star- 
board tack, in the following order : — Culloden, Blenheim 
(rather to windward), Prince George, Orion, Colossus 
(to windward). Irresistible, Victory, Egmont, Goliath, Bar- 
Jleur, Britannia, Namur, Captain, Diadem, and Excellent, 
The Spaniards naturally supposed that the British 
admiral would fall upon their detached ships, which 
were making every effort to come up with the main 
body; but such was not his design. At eight minutes past 
noon, having passed the sternmost of the Spanish weather 
ships, the Culloden, in obedience to signal, tacked to the 
larboard ; a manoeuvre executed in so able a manner 
that Sir John exclaimed, " Look, look at Trowbridge ! 
does he not manoeuvre as if all England were looking at 
him ? Would to God all England were present to 
appreciate, as I do, the gallant captain of the Culloden .'" 

The Victory, and the other ships of the British fleet, 
now hoisted their colours, and tacked in succession as 
the admiral's signals directed. The Spanish division 
left to leeward, however, hoped to break through the 
British line ahead of its commander-in-chief, and reso- 
lutely advanced with this intention; but the Victory 
anticipated the Spanish vice-admiral's movement, and 
forced his three-decker, the Principe-de-Asturias^ to tacfe 



nelson's movej^hents. 227 

close tinder her lee, pouring into her sides, meanwhile, 
a teiTible fire that compelled her to bear np in utter 
confusion. Her comrades, discouraged by so warm a 
reception, followed her example, and bore up, after 
exchanging a few distant shot with the British rear. 
The Oriente was the only ship that succeeded in joining 
the Spanish van. 

At about one p.m., Don Josef de Cordova, finding him- 
self opposed with only sixteen ships to the British 
fifteen, determined upon another elFort to join his 
leeward division. He saw that the British van had now 
tacked, and was standing after his own ships, while the 
rear continued on the same tack, in order to fetch into 
the wake of the Victory, and then tack in succession. 
"The Spanish admiral," says a French professional 
writer, " now thought the moment arrived to pass to 
leeward of the enemy's line, and hoped, amidst the 
smoke of the battle, to conceal his movement fi'om 
Jervis, and to surprise him by the rapidity of his 
manoeuvre. Leading his line of battle, he steered for 
the rear of the English line ; but Xelson, in the Cajptain, 
was the third of the rear division, and w^atched the fate 
of the day." Observing the Spanish admiral's move- 
ment, and comprehending its important consequences, 
!Nelson at once resolved to frustrate it. He therefore 
directed Captain Miller to wear the Captain, and, pass- 
ing between his sternmost ships, the Excellent and 
Diadem, coolly placed himself across the bows of the 
huge Santissima Trinidad, a 130-gun ship, with four 
decks. ** He thus stopped the way against her, obliged 
her to haul to the wind, and forced her back upon the 
English advanced ships. A part of that advanced 
squadron then passed to leeward of the Spanish line, 
to prevent a further attempt like that which Nelson had 
defeated ; and the other part, led by the Victc/ry, ranged 
along the Spanish line to windward, and placed Cordova's 
rear ships between two fires. The succejf>s of Nelson's 
daring manoeuvre was complete, but he himself, sepa- 

P 2 



228 BOARDINa THE '^ SAN NICOLAS." 

rated from his squadron, was for some time exposed to 
the fire of several SpanisTi ships. The Gulloden, and 
ships which followed Trowbridge, only covered him for 
a moment while passing on, and then left him to 
struggle with his numerous foes. He was forced to get 
fresh supplies of shot out of the hold, those which were 
at hand being exhausted by the rapid fire ; and at this 
moment, when his fire necessarily slackened, Nelson 
found himself under the broadside of an 80-gun ship, 
the San Nicolas, The confusion prevailing in the 
Spanish line had collected three or four ships, which, 
having no other opponents, directed against the Captain 
all the guns which bore. The San Josef especially, a 
ship of 112 guns, placed astern of the San Nicolas, gave 
the aid of her powerful artillery." The Excellent, 
Collingwood's ship, who had already borne a noble part 
in the battle, now came up to Nelson's succour, and, in 
seeking to escape from her broadside, the San Nicolas 
fell on board the San Josef, partially dismasted. Nelson 
resolved to carry these formidable ships by boarding. 
How he succeeded we shall let him describe in his own 
characteristic language : — 

" The soldiers of the 69th, with an alacrity which will 
ever do them credit, and Lieutenant Pearson, of the 
same regiment, were almost the foremost on this service. 
The first man who jumped into the enemy's mizen- 
chains was Captain Berry, late my first-lieutenant 
(Captain Miller was in the very act of going also, but I 
directed him to remain) : he was supported from our 
sprit sail -yard, Avhich hooked in the mizen-rigging. A 
soldier of the 69th regiment having broke the upper 
quarter-gallery window, I jumped in myself, and was 
followed by others as fast as possible. I found the 
cabin-doors fastened : and some Spanish officers fired 
their pistols : but, having broken open the doors, the 
soldiers fired ; and the Spanish brigadier (commodore 
with a distinguishing pendant) fell, as retreating to the 
quarter-deck. I pushed immediately onwards for the 



OLD " AGAMEMNONS." 229 

qnarter-deck, where I found Captain Berry in'possession 
of the poop, and the Spanish ensign hanling down. I 
passed with my people and Lieutenant Pearson, on the 
larboard gangway, to the forecastle, where I met two or 
three Spanish officers, prisoners to my seamen : they 
delivered me their swords. A fire of pistols, or muskets 
opening from the admiral's stern gallery of the San Josefs 
I directed the soldiers to fire into her stern ; and, call- 
ing to Captain Miller, ordered him to send more men 
into the San Nicolas, and directed my people to board 
the first-rate, which was done in an instant, Captain 
Berry assisting me into the main-chains. At this 
moment, a Spanish officer looked over the quarter-deck 
rail, and said they surrendered. From this most wel- 
come intelligence it was not long before I was on the 
quarter-deck, where the Spanish captain, with a bow, 
presented me his sword, and said the admiral was dying 
of his wounds. I asked him on his honour if the ship 
was surrendered. He declared she was : on which I 
gave him my hand, and desired him to call on his 
officers and ship's company ; which he did : — and, on 
the quarter-deck of a Spanish first-rate, extravagant as 
the story may seem, did I receive the swords of van- 
quished Spaniards; which, as I received, I gave to 
William Fearney, one of my bargemen ; who put them. 
with the greatest sangfroid, under his arm. I was 
surrounded by Captain Berry, Lieutenant Pearson, of 
the 69th regiment, John Sykes, John Thompson, Francis 
Cooke, all old Agamemnons ; and several other brave men, 
seamen and soldiers. Thus fell these ships." 

The battle off Cape St. Yincent began about noon and 
ceased at five p.m., when four Spanish line-of-battle 
ships had struck their colours — the Salvador del Mimdo, 
112 guns ; the San Josef , 112 ; the San Nicolas, 80 ; and 
the San Tsidro, 74. Ten other ships were severely 
damaged, but night coming on, and several English 
vessels being disabled. Sir John was forced to be con- 
tent with the victory he had won, and at five p.m. threw 



230 HESITLTS OF THE VICTORY. 

out tlie Signal to discontinue the action. The Spanish, 
l^st, on board the four prizes alone, 261 killed and 342 
wounded ; probably, in all, 400 killed and between 500 
and ()00 wounded. The British had to regret but 73 
killed and 227 wounded, of whicb the greater propor- 
tion fell on board the Captain, the Excellent, and the 
Culloden. 

The moral and political consequences of the victory 
of St. Valentine's-day were incalculably great, and it is 
no marvel that England poured out her enthusiastic 
gratitude upon the heroes to whose skill and courage 
it was due. Sir John Jervis was created Earl St. Vincent, 
with a pension of 3,000Z. per annum ; Nelson received 
the Order of the Bath and the freedom of the city of 
London. Gold medals were distributed among the flag- 
ojfficers and captains, and the whole fleet was gratified 
with the thanks of both Houses of Parliament. Nor has 
the renown of the battle of Cape St. Vincent been wholly 
eclipsed by the surpassing brilliancy of the victories of 
the Nile and Trafalgar. 

Earl St. Vincent now proceeded with his fleet and 
prizes to Lisbon, where he was joined by a reinforce- 
ment from England, and shifted his flag from the Victory 
to the new three-decker, Ville-de-Paris, of 110 guns. 
With twenty-one sail of the line he steered for Cadiz, 
on the 31st of March, and twice bombarded that unfortu- 
nate city. He continued to cruise in the Mediterranean 
until June 1799, when ill health compelled him to 
resign the command into the hands of Vice- Admiral 
Lord Keith. 

The Victory, in 1800, received a thorough repair, and, 
having shared in the glorious battle off Cape St. Vincent, 
was fitly to close her career of active service by taking 
pait in the yet more glorious battle of Trafalgar. 

Lord Nelson hoisted his flag on board her, on the 
18th of May 1803, to take the command of the Medi- 
terranean fleet. On the 20th he set sail from Spit- 



^telson's complaints. 231 

head, accompanied by the Amphwn, 32, Captain Thomas 
Mastferman Hardy, bound in the first instance for 
Brest, which was then blockaded by Admiral Corn- 
wallis. On the 23rd, Lord Nelson shifted his flag to 
the AmpMoUy and left the Victory to join the Brest 
blockading fleet, if Cornwallis should require her as- 
sistance ; if otherwise, she was to follow him to the 
Mediterranean. The AmpMon found the Mediterra- 
nean squadron, consisting of one 80-gun ship, five 74's, 
two 64's, and two frigates, under Eear- Admiral Sir 
Eichard Bickerton, cruising off Toulon, where a con- 
siderable French fleet was preparing for sea. The 
Victory arrived on the evening of the 30th, and Lord 
Xelson immediately re-hoisted his flag on board her. 
He then patiently resumed his watch over the move- 
ments of the French fleet, despatching two of his own 
men-of-war on different sei^vices, in order to tempt the 
enemy to dare an engagement with an inferior force. 
But the French were not disposed to cope with the 
gi*eatest of the British Admirals, for whose courage, 
genius, and activity they entertained a wholesome 
respect. For fourteen months Nelson kept his cruising- 
gi'ound, only retiring in the winter to some securer 
anchorage, and then so disposing his 'ships that the 
enemy could make no movement unobserved. He 
called this station his home. " We are in the right 
fighting trim," he said; " let them come as soon as 
they please. I never saw a fleet altogether so well- 
officered and manned : would to God the ships were 
half as good ! — The finest ones in the service would 
soon be destroyed by such terrible weather. I know 
well enough, that if I were to go into Malta, I should 
save the ships during this bad season ; but if I am to 
watch the French, I must be at sea ; and, if at sea, 
must have bad weather : and if the ships are not fit to 
stand bad weather, they are useless." 

Still the monotony of the service tenibly wearied his 
active spirit, and the expenses of his command pressed 



232 SPAIN DECLARES WAR. 

heavily npon his limited pecuniary resources. " Some* 
how," he wrote, *' my mind is not sharp enough for 
prize-money. Lord Keith would have made 20,000Z., 
and I have not made 6,000Z." He poured in complaints 
upon the Admiralty of the weak and inefficient con- 
dition of his ships : — " The Sujperh'' he writes, " is in a 
very weak state, but Keats is so superior to any diffi- 
culties that I hear but little from her. The Kent is 
gone to Malta, fit only for a summer-passage. Every 
bit of twice-laid stuff belonging to the Ganopus is con- 
demned, and all the running rigging in the fleet, except 
the Victory's. We have fitted the Excellent with new 
main and mizen rigging : it was shameful for the dock- 
yard to send a ship to sea with such rigging." 

His health was much affected by the severity of his 
exertions. "A few months' rest," he writes, *'I must 
have very soon. If I am in my grave, what are the mines 
of Peru to me ? But to say the truth, I have no idea of 
killing myself. I may, with care, live yet to do good 
service to the state. My cough is very bad, and my 
side, where I was struck on the 14th of February, is 
very much swelled ; at times a lump as large as my 
fist, brought on occasionally by violent coughing. But 
I hope and believe my lungs are yet safe." He was 
occasionally put in better spirits by a movement of the 
French fleet. "Yesterday," he writes, " a rear-admiral 
and seven sail of ships put their nose outside the 
harbour. If they go on playing this game, some day 
we shall lay salt upon their tails." 

Towards the close of the year 1804, hostilities broke 
out between England and Spain, whose court and 
government were then completely imder the influence 
of the French Emperor. The immediate cause of the 
war was the seizure by England of four Spanish frigates, 
loaded with treasure from Monte Video, on the ground 
that that treasure was destined for the purposes of the 
French government. For the British ministry had 
longj^been in possession of information which proved 



NELSON BLOCKADES TOULON. 233 

that a close alliance had been concluded between 
France and Spain, and that only a favourable oppor- 
tunity was waited for to launch the resources of the 
latter country against England. 

Spain issued a formal declaration of war on the 12th of 
December 1804, and her fleets and armies were im- 
mediately placed at the disposal of the French Emperor. 
She agreed to furnish him, and supply with six months' 
stores, from 25 to 29 sail of the line, with from 4,000 to 
6,000 Spanish troops, by the 20th or oOth of March. 
To these were to be added 25,000 French soldiers. 
Napoleon, then, calculated that with a fleet of 70 sail of 
the line he could so occupy the attention of the British 
admirals as to obtain the command of the Channel for a 
few days, and carry out his long-cherished design of the 
invasion of England. And when it is remembered that 
Great Britain could not muster more than 80 sea-going 
ships of the line, with which to protect her wide-spread 
dominions, we must acknowledge that Napoleon's 
schemes were far more feasible, and more easily prac- 
ticable than some authorities are willing to confess. 

On the 15th of April 1804 the Brest fleet, including 
21 sail of the line, made an attempt to put to sea, but 
was frustrated by the activity of Lord Gardner, then 
in command of the English blockading squadron. 
Villeneuve, with the Toulon fleet, had actually escaped 
the watchfulness of Nelson, and it was Napoleon's 
design that both fleets should sail to the West Indies, 
should there efiect a junction, plunder and ravage the 
English colonies, and return to the Channel, augmented 
on their route by the Spanish squadron at Ferrol, so as 
to number not less than 56 sail of the line. With so 
overpowering a force the command of the Channel 
would be secured, and the invasion of England accom- 
plished. It was reserved for the genius and devotion 
of Nelson to defeat this bold conception, and assure the 
safety of his country. 

Throughout the whole of the year 1804 that extra- 



234 PURSUIT OF VILLENEUVE. 

ordinary man continneii his vigilant blockade of tlie port 
of Toulon, never even setting his foot upon the shore, 
but wholly absorbed in the performance of the solemn 
duty intrusted to him. The outbreak of the war with 
Spain rendered his task trebly more arduous, for it now 
became necessary to prevent the junction of the Spanish 
ships got ready for sea at Ferrol, Cadiz, and Carthagena, 
with the fleet under Admiral Villeneuve at Toulon. 
The Spanish in Ferrol were blockaded by Eear-Ad- 
miral Cochrane with seven sail of the line ; off Cadiz 
was stationed a squadron of five sail under Sir John 
Orde ; while Nelson, with ten sail, cruised off Cape 
San Sebastian, and occasionally looked in at Carthagena. 

On the 3rd of January 1805, Nelson detached two 
frigates to watch Toulon, while he himself, with his 
fleet, repaired to Agincourt Sound, on the coast of Sar- 
dinia, to refit and provision his ships. On the loth he 
was joined by the Superb, from Algiers. On the 17th, 
Villeneuve, with eleven sail of the line, seven frigates, 
and two brigs, having on board a body of 3,500 troops 
under General Lauriston, put out to sea, and on the 
evening of the same day his movements were descried 
by the British reconnoitring frigates. The welcome 
intelligence was conveyed to Nelson on the 19th, at 
Ih. 50m., and at half-past four, Lord Nelson weighed 
anchor with the following ships : — 

Victory, 100 ; Boyal Sovereign, 100 ; Canopus, 80 ; 
Superb, Spencer, Swiftsure, JBelleisle, Conqueror, Tigre, Le- 
viathan, and Donegal, 74's ; and two frigates, Active and 
Seahorse, 

Yilleneuve's fleet included : — 

Bucentaure, Formidable, Neptune, Indomptable, 80's ; 
Annibal, Mont Blanc, Swiftsure, Atlas, Intrepide, Scipion, 
Berwick, 74's ; seven fris^ates, Cornelie, Hortense, In- 
corruptible, Bhin, Sirene, Themis, and Uranie; and two 
brigs, Furet and Naiade. 

At six in the evening the British fleet rapidly streamed 
through the narrow strait between Biche and Sardinia ; 



PURSUIT OF villeneuve/ 235 

a passage so narrow that the ships could only pass one 
at a time, each guided by the stern liglits of the ship 
ahead, and the whole led by the Victory. From the 
movements of the enemy it was inferred that they must 
be destined for the south coast of Sardinia, and a frigate 
was despatched to look in at Cagliari, but no further 
intelligence could be obtained. On the 26th, the 
Phoebe, 36-gun frigate, joined company, with the infor- 
mation that she had seen a disabled French ship, the 
Indomitable, standiug in for Ajaccio; and as no other 
tidings could be secured, Nelson made sail for the 
eastward, and assured of the safety of Naples and Sicily, 
ran under press of canvas for Egypt. His mental 
anxiety at this time was extreme : — " I have consulted 
no man," he wrote to the Admiralty, " therefore the 
whole blame of ignorance informing my judgment must 
rest with me. I would allow no man to take from me 
an atom of my glory had I fallen in with the French 
fleet ; nor do I desire any man to partake of the respon- 
sibility." 

The Egyptian coast was reached early in February, 
but no trace of the French fleet could be discovered. 
Nearly maddened with disappointment and apprehension 
Nelson now shaped his course for Malta, and on his 
route, received intelligence from Naples which at last 
informed him of Villeneuve*s actual movements. On 
the second day after quitting Toulon, when crossing the 
Gulf of Lyons, his ships had been severely damaged in 
a terrible gale of wind, which had driven most of them 
back into port. Nelson derived much consolation from 
this signal proof of the inferiority of French seaman- 
ship : — *' These genflemen," he said, " are not accus- 
tomed to a Gulf of Lyons' gale : we have buifeted them 
for one-and-twenty months, and not carried away a 
spar." But if he could brave, he could not control the 
weather, and the winds at length compelled him to 
anchor his battered ships in Pula Bay, in the Gulf 
of Cagliari. From the 21st of January up to the 



236 Air INEFFECTITAL CHASfi. 

27th of February each vessel had remained prepared 
for battle, without a bulkhead up, either by day or 
night. 

On the 10th of March Nelson again weighed anchor, 
and on the 1 2th, discerned the hills which tower above 
the city and port of Toulon. But in order to deceive 
the enemy into a belief that he was stationed off the 
coast of Spain, he detached the Leviathan off Barcelona, 
and working back to eastward, reached the Gulf of 
Palma to re-victual and refit his ships. Here he was 
joined by the 32-gun frigate Ambuscade, and Rear- 
Admiral Louis, who hoisted his flag on board of the 
Canopus, 

Meanwhile, Villeneuve had refitted his fleet with 
commendable i-apidity, and taking advantage of the 
absence of the English, slipped out of Toulon Eoads on 
the evening of the 29th of March. The wind failing he 
made, however, but little progress, and when, on the 
31st, off Cape Sicie, was discovered by the British 
frigates Active and Phoebe, who watched his movements 
for a few hours, and then made all sail for the Gulf of 
Palma. Keeping cautiously close to the coast of Spain, 
Villeneuve, on the 6th of April, arrived off the port of 
Carthagena, and so contrived to avoid the cruisers of 
the English fleet. In the absence of more certain 
intelligence Nelson had concluded that the French 
meditated a design against Sicily, and bore up for Pa- 
lermo, but tidings soon reached him of their passage of 
the Straits of Gibraltar. He was now alarmed for the 
safety of Ireland or the West Indies, and endeavoured 
to follow up the enemy with all speed. But the winds 
were dead against him, and spite of all his exertions, 
and the energy of his men, he did not reach Gibraltai 
until the 30th. " My good fortune," he wrote to Captain 
Ball, *' seems to have flown away. I cannot get a fair 
wind, or even a side wind — dead foul! dead foul I — but 
my mind is fully made up what to do when I leave the 
Straits, supposing there is no certain information of the 



THE FRENCH AND SPANISH FLEETS. 237 

enemy's destination. I believe this ill-luck will go 
near to kill me ; but as these are times for exertion, I 
must not be cast down, whatever I may feel." To Lord 
Melville, the First Lord of the Admiralty, he wrote, — 
" I am not made to despair ; what man can do shall be 
done. I have marked out for myself a decided line of 
conduct, and I shall follow it well up, although I have 
now before me a letter from the physician of the fleet, 
enforcing my return to England before the hot months. 
Therefore, notwithstanding I shall pursue the enemy to 
the East or West Indies, if I know that to have been 
their destination, yet, if this Mediterranean fleet joins 
the Channel, I shall request, with that order, permission 
to go on shore." 

Villeneuve, having been disappointed in his hopes of 
effecting a junction with the Spanish fleet at Carthagena, 
pushed forward to Cadiz, driving off that station Vice- 
Admiral Orde and his five sail of the line. Here he 
was joined by six Spanish men-of-war and one frigate, 
having 1,600 troops on board, and the whole fleet, now 
consisting of eighteen sail of the line, seven frigates, 
and four corvettes, got under way for the West Indies. 
They anchored at Martinique on the 13th of May. 

Lord Nelson and his fleet, still in ignorance of the 
ultimate destination of the enemy, stood through the 
Straits of Gibraltar on the 7th of May, and now for the 
first time received authentic information. His in- 
formant was Rear- Admiral Donald Campbell, a Scotch- 
man serving in the Portuguese navy, who had formerly 
communicated important intelligence to Earl St. Vincent, 
and was now able to assure Lord Nelson that the 
combined fleet had certainly sailed for the West Indies. 
Thither, therefore. Lord Nelson determined to proceed. 
With but ten ships of the line and three frigates, he 
crowded sail to the westward, in pursuit of an enemy 
of double his force. " Take you a Frenchman apiece," 
he said to his captains, *' and leave me the Spaniards : — 
when I haul down my colours, I expect you to do the 



238 nelson's plan of attack. 

same, — and not till then." The Prench had five-and- 
thirty days' start, but Nelson calculated that he should 
gain eight or ten days upon them by his exertions. 

During his passage to the West Indies, he drew up a 
plan of attack, to be adopted if the enemy's fleet were 
overtaken. In a volume specially intended for those of 
the youth of England who contemplate the adoption of 
the naval profession, a document of so much importance, 
drawn up by so distinguished a seaman, cannot be 
omitted. It must be regarded as one of the best ma- 
nuals for the young naval officer, who would emulate 
Nelson's zeal, if he never attained Nelson's glory. 

'* The business of an English commander-in-chief 
being first to bring an enemy's fleet to battle, on the 
most advantageous terms to himself (I mean, that of 
laying his ships close on board those of the enemy as 
expeditiously as possible, and secondly, to continue 
them there without separating until the business is 
decided), I am sensible, beyond this object, it is not 
necessary I should say a word, being fully assured, 
that the admirals and captains of the fleet I have the 
honour to command will, knowing my precise object, 
that of a close and decisive battle, supply any deficiency 
in my not making signals, which may, if extended 
beyond these objects, either be misunderstood, or, if 
waited for, very probably, from various causes, be im- 
possible for the commander-in-chief to make. Therefore 
it will only be requisite for me to state, in as few words 
as possible, the various modes by which it may be 
necessary for me to obtain my object, on which depends 
not only the honour and glory of our country, but pos- 
sibly its safety, and, with it, that of all Europe, from 
French tyi^anny and oppression. 

*' If the two fleets are both willing to fight, but little 
manoeuvring is necessary. The less the better; a day 
is soon lost in that business. Therefore I will only 
suppose that the enemy's fleet being to leeward, standing 
close upon a wind on the starboard tack, and that I 



NELSOX'g PLAN OF ATTxVCK. 239 

am nearly aliead of them, standing on the larboard 
tack, of course I should weather them. The weather 
must be supposed to be moderate ; for, if it be a gale of 
wind, the manoeuvring of both fleets is but of little 
avail, and probably no decisive action would take place 
with the whole fleet. Two modes present themselves ; 
one, to stand on just out of gun-shot until the van- 
ship of my line would be abreast of the centre ship of 
the enemy, then make the signal to wear together, then 
bear up, engage with all our force the six or five van- 
ships of the enemy, passing certainly, if opportunity 
offered, through their line. This would prevent their 
bearing np, and the action, from the known bravery 
and conduct of the admirals and captains, would be 
decisive ; the second or third war-ships of the enemy 
would act as they pleased, and our ships would give a 
good account of them, should they persist in mixing 
with our ships. The other mode would be, to stand 
under an easy but commanding sail, directly for their 
headmost ship, so as to prevent the enemy from knowing 
whether I should pass to leeward or to windward of 
him. In that situation, I would make the signal to 
engage the enemy to leeward, and to cut through their 
fleet about the sixth ship from the van, passing very 
close; they being on a wind, you, going large, could 
cut their line when you please. The van-ships of the 
enemy would, by the time our rear came abreast of the 
van-ship, be severely cut up, and our van could not 
expect to escape damage. I would then have our rear- 
ships, and every ship in succession, wear, continue the 
action with either the van-ship or second ship, as it 
might appear most eligible from her crippled state; 
and, this mode pursued, I see nothing to prevent the 
capture of the five or six ships of the enemy's van. 
The two or three ships of the enemy's rear must either 
bear up or wear; and, in either case, although they 
would be in a better plight probably than our two van- 
ships (now the rear), yet they- would be separated and 



240 OFF TO THE WEST INDIES. 

at a distance to leeward, so as to give our ships time to 
refit; and by that time, I believe, the battle would, 
from the judgment of the admirals and captains, be over 
with the rest of them. Signals from these moments are 
useless, when every man is disposed to do his dut^^ 
The great object is, for us to support each other, and to 
keep close to the enemy and to leeward of him. If the 
enemy are running away, then the only signals necessary 
will be, to engage the enemy as arriving up with them, 
and the other ships to pass on for the second, third, 
&c. ; giving, if possible, a close fire into the enemy in 
passing, taking care to give our ships engaged notice of 
your intention," 

The British fleet anchored in Carlisle Bay, in the 
island of Barbadoes, on the 4th of June, and found there 
Eear- Admiral Cochrane with two sail of the line, the 
Northumberland and S;partiate, both 74's. Nelson was 
now informed that the Franco-Spanish fleet had been 
seen from St. Lucia on the 28th, standing to the south- 
ward, and that its objects were Tobago and Trinidad. 
He doubted the correctness of the news, and exclaimed, 
** If your intelligence proves false, you lose me the 
French fleet," but embarked 2000 troops on board, and, 
the next morning, sailed for Tobago. On his voyage, 
some false information purposely given by the master 
of an American merchantman, still further misled the 
English Admiral, and he at length concluded that he 
should grapple with the enemy in the Bay of Paria, 
and make " the mouths of the Orinoco as famous in the 
annals of the British navy as those of the Nile." But 
not a single tricolor was there. Nelson found that he 
had been deceived, and was soon apprised that the 
terror of his name had driven back to Europe Villeneuve 
and his formidable armada. But if he had failed in 
engaging and destroying the combining fleet, he had, at 
last, the satisfaction of knowing that he had saved the 
West Indian colonies from plunder, and above 200 



RETURNS TO EUROPE. 241 

richly-laden traders which must otherwise have fallen a 
prize to the enemy. Kelson's own views on the subject 
were thus expressed to his captains : — " I am thankful 
that the enemy has been driven from the West India 
Islands with so little loss to our country. I had made 
up my mind to great sacrifices, for I had determined, 
notwithstanding his vast superiority, to stop his career, 
and to put it out of his power to do any further mis- 
chief. Yet do not imagine I am one of those hot-brained 
people who fight at immense disadvantage, without 
auy adequate object. My object is partly gained. If 
we meet them we shall find them not less than eighteen, 
I rather think twenty, sail of the line ; and therefore do 
not be sui-prised if I should not fall on them imme- 
diately. AVe won't part without a battle. I think 
they will be glad to let me alone, if I will let them 
alone ; which I will do either till we approach the 
shores of Europe, or they give me an advantage too 
tempting to be resisted." 

Lord Nelson quitted Antigua on the 13th of June, 
making all sail for Europe. On the 17th of July he 
came in sight of Cape St. Vincent, his wave-worn and 
storm-beaten ships having run 3459 miles in 34 days. 
On the following day, when steering for Gibraltar to 
re-victual his fleet, he fell in with Vice- Admiral Colling- 
wood, with the JDreadnougJit, 98, and two other sail 
of the line. Collingwood, whose sagacity was equal to 
his courage, had interpreted correctly the real intentions 
of Napoleon. " I have always had an idea," he wrote to 
Nelson, '' that Ireland alone was the object they have in 
view, and still believe that to be their ultimate destina- 
tion. They will now liberate the Ferrol squadron from 
Calder, make the round of the Bay, and, taking the 
Eochfort squadron with them, will appear ofi" Ushant, 
perhaps with 34 sail, there to be joined by 20 more. 
I have always considered the invasion of Ireland as the 
real mark and butt of all their operations. Their flight 
to the West Indies was to take ofi" the naval force, 

Q 



242 RETURNS TO ENGLAND. 

which proved the great impediment to their under- 
taking." 

On the 19th of July the British fleet anchored in 
Gibraltar Bay, and on the 20th, Lord Nelson went on 
shore for the first time since June 16, 1803, and from 
having his foot out of the Victory, two years wanting 
ten days. 

The fleet obtained water and provisions, and then 
bore away for Ushant, where they joined Admiral 
Gornwallis on the loth of August. Leaving with him 
all the ships but the Victory and Superb, Nelson next 
proceeded homeward, and anchored on the 18th at Spit- 
head. There he sti-uck his flag, and went on shore, 
after having devoted two most arduous and anxious 
years to the service of his country. 

Called once more to the command of the Mediter- 
ranean fleet by the unanimous voice of England, the 
hero of the Nile hoisted his flag on board his old ship, 
the Victory, on the 15th of September 1805. His de- 
parture was the signal for a remarkable popular mani- 
festation : — " Having despatched his business on shore," 
say« Southey, " he endeavoured to elude the populace 
by taking a by-way to the beach ; but a crowd collected 
in his train, pressing forward to obtain a sight of his 
face : many were in tears, and many knelt down before 
him, and blessed him as he passed. England has had 
many heroes ; but never one who so entirely possessed 
the love of his fellow-countrymen as Nelson. All men 
knew that his heart was as humane as it was fearless ; 
that there was not in his nature the slightest alloy of 
selfishness or cupidity; but that, with perfect and 
entire devotion, he served his country with all his 
heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength ; 
and, therefore, they loved him as truly and as fervently 
as he loved England. They pressed upon the parapet 
to gaze after him when his barge pushed oif, and he 
was returning their cheers by waving his hat. The 



DEPARTS FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN. 243 

sentinels, who endeavoured to prevent them from tres- 
passing upon this ground, were wedged among the 
crowd; and an officer, who, not very prudently upon 
such an occasion, ordered them to drive the people 
down with their bayonets, was compelled speedily to 
retreat; for the people would not be debarred from 
gazing, till the last moment, upon the hero — the darling 
hero of England !" 

The Victory arrived off Cadiz on Nelson's birthday, 
the 29th of September, in company with the Ajax, the 
Thunderer, and Euryalus frigate. Nelson had previously 
instructed Collingwood, who was then in command of 
the blockading fleet, not to fire any salute or hoist any 
colours on his arrival. He knew the enemy would not 
venture out of Cadiz if they thought the British force at 
all approximated to their own. The station which he 
selected for himself was some sixty miles W. of Cadiz, 
near Cape St. Mary's, and his ships were so disposed 
that the slightest movement of the enemy would be 
communicated to him with all possible rapidity. Mean- 
while, the blockade of the port was rigorously enforced 
that a want of supplies might drive Villeneuve out to sea. 

On the 9th of October, Nelson sent to Collingwood, 
his old comrade, and second in command, his plan of 
attack — the '* Nelson-touch," as he called it. "1 send 
you," he said, *' my plan of attack, as far as a man dare 
venture to guess at the very uncertain position the 
enemy may be found in : but it is to place you perfectly 
at ease respecting my intentions, and to give full scope 
to your judgment for carrying them into effect. We 
can, my dear Coll., have no little jealousies. We have 
only one great object in view, that of annihilating 
our enemies, and getting a glorious* peace for our 
countiy. No man has more confidence in another than 
I have in you ; and no man will render your services 
more justice than your very old friend 

*' Nelson and Bronte." 

ThifS plan of attack, a masterpiece of naval tactics, 

Q 2 



244 THE <* nelson-touch/^ 

we shall here introduce, — premising that Nelson sup- 
posed the Brest fleet would probably effect a junction 
with the Cadiz fleet, and raise the enemy's strength to 54 
or 55 sail, while his own, by reinforcements on their way 
from England, would be increased to 40 sail of the line. 

nelson's plan of attack. 

** Thinking it almost impossible to form a fleet of 40 
sail of the line into a line of battle, in variable winds, 
thick weather, and other circumstances which must 
occur, without such a loss of time, that the opportunity 
would probably be lost of bringing the enemy to battle 
in such a manner as to make the business decisive ; I 
have therefore made up my mind to keep the fleet in 
that position of sailing (with the exception of the first 
and second in command) that the order of sailing is to 
be the order of battle ; placing the fleet in two lines of 
16 ships each, with an advanced squadron of eight of 
the fastest sailing two-decked ships ; which will always 
make, if wanted, a line of 24 sail, on whichever line the 
commander-in-chief may direct. The second in com- 
mand will, after my intentions are made known to him, 
have the entire direction of his line, to make the attack 
upon the enemy, and to follow up the blow until they 
are captured or destroyed. 

'* If the enemy's fleet should be seen to windward in 
line of battle, and that the two lines and the advancing 
squadron could fetch them, they will probably be so 
extended that their van could not succour their rear. 
I should therefore probably make the second in com- 
raand's signal, to lead through about the twelfth ship 
from their rear, or wherever he could fetch, if not able 
to get so far ad'vanced. My line would lead through 
about their centre; and the advanced squadron to cut 
two, three, or four ships ahead of their centre ; so as to 
insure getting at their commander-in-chief (supposed to 
be in the centre) to the rear of their fleet. I will sup- 
pose 20 sail of the enemy's line to be untouched : it 



INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS CAPTAINS. 245 

must be some time before they could perform a 
manoeuvre tO bring tbeir force compact to attack any 
pai-t of the British fleet engaged, or to succour their 
own ships; which indeed would be impossible without 
mixing with the ships engaged. The enemy's fleet is 
supposed to consist of 46 sail of the line : British 40 : 
if either is less, only a proportionate number of enemy's 
ships are to be cut of. British to be one-fourth superior 
to the enemy cut off. Something must be left to chance. 
Kothing is sure in a sea-fight : beyond all others, shot 
will carry away the masts and yards of friends as well 
as foes ; but I look with confidence to a victory before 
the van of the enemy could succour their rear ; and 
then, that the British fleet would, most of them, be 
ready to receive their 20 sail of the line, or to pursue 
them should they endeavour to make off. If the van 
of the enemy tack, the captured ships must run to 
leeward of the British fleet; if the enemy wear, the 
British must place themselves between the enemy and 
the captured, and disabled British ships ; and should 
the enemy close, I have no fear for the result. 

" The second in command will, in all possible things, 
direct the movements of his line, by keeping them as 
compact as the nature of the circumstances will admit. 
Captains are to look to their particular line, as their 
rallying point ; but in case signals cannot be seen or 
clearly understood, no captain can do very wrong if he 
places his ship alongside that of an enemy. 

*' Of the intended attack from to windward, the 
enemy in the line of battle ready to receive an attack : 



British 
Lines. 



Enemy's Line of Battle. 

'' The] divisions of the British fleet will be brought 
nearly within gunshot of the enemy's centre. The 



24.6 COMES UP WITH THE COMBINED FLEETS. 

signal will most probably then be made for the lee line 
to bear up together; to set all their sails, even their 
steering-sails, in order to get as quickly as possible to 
the enemy's line, and to cut through, beginning at the 
twelfth ship from the enemy's rear. Some ships may 
not get through their exact place, but they will always 
be at hand to assist their friends. If any are thrown 
round the rear of the enemy, they will effectually com- 
plete the business of 12 sail of the enemy. Should the 
enemy wear together, or bear up and sail large, still 
the 12 ships composing, in the first position, the 
enemy's rear, are to be the object of attack of the lee 
line, unless otherwise directed by the commander-in- 
chief: which is scarcely to be expected, as the entire 
management of the lee line, after the intentions of the 
commander-in-chief are signified, is intended to be left 
to the judgment of the admiral commanding that line. 
The remainder of the enemy's fleet, 34 sail of the line, are 
to be left to the management of the commander-in-chief, 
who will endeavour to take care that the movements of the 
second in command are as little interrupted as possible." 

On the 19th, twelve of the Franco-Spanish fleet, and 
on the 20th, the remainder, weighed and put out to sea, 
under the command of Vice- Admiral Villeneuve (French) 
and Vice-Admiral Gravina (Spanish). The joyous tid- 
ings were immediately conveyed to Nelson, who ordered 
the signal to be made for the fleet to chase in the south- 
east quarter. All night they continued under press of 
sail. At daybreak, on the 20th, they were off the 
entrance to the Straits, but no tricolor was in sight. 
They accordingly wore, and made sail to the north-west, 
when the PJioehe frigate signalled that the enemy bore 
north. About ^ve in the afternoon the Euryalus tele- 
graphed that the Franco-Spanish fleet seemed determined 
to go to the westward — " and that," wrote the Admiral 
in his diary, "they shall not do, if it is in the power 
of Nelson and Bronte to prevent them." The Victory , 
therefore, signalled to the Euryalus (Captain Blackwood) 



THE BRITISH FLEET. 



247 



tliat Lord Nelson trusted to lier to keep sight of the 
enemy during the night, and on the following moniing 
about six o'clock, Cape Trafalgar bearing E. by S. 
distant about seven leagues, the Victory and her com- 
panions obtained a sight of Villeneuve and Gravina's 
fleet. At 6*40, the Victory signalled for the order of 
sailing to be formed in two columns, and to prepare for 
battle ; and in ten minutes afterwards, to bear up. The 
rapid approach of the British thus rendering a general 
engagement unavoidable, the French admiral formed his 
ships in line in close order. But the manoeuvre was badly 
executed ; the line, therefore, bowed like a crescent, while 
the ships were mostly two, and in some cases, three 
deep. 

AVhile the two fleets are thus approaching the death- 
grapple, we may pause to examine their relative strength, 
and to record the names of the Famous Ships of which 
they were composed. 

The British Fleet. 

Under the command of Vice- Admiral Lord Nelson, K.B. 
Second in command, Yice- Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood. 

Captains, &c. 
-Admiral Lord Nelson. 
, Thomas Masterman Hardy. 
I- Admiral Collingwood. 
, Edward Kotheram. 
-Admiral, the Earl of Northesk. 
, Charles Bnllen. 
Eliab Harvey. 
Ki chard Grindall. 
Thomas Francis Fremantle. 
John Conn. 
Charles Tyler. 
William Hargood. 
Robert Moorsom. 
George Duff. 

Sir Francis Laforey, Bart. 
Philip Charles Durham. 
Israel Pellew. 
George Hope. 
James NicoU Morris. 



Gnns 


Names of Ships. 


100 


Victory 


i V ice- 
• • \Capt. 


100 


Royal Sovereign , • ry^^ 


100 


Britannia . 


(Rear 
• • tCapt. 


98 


Tem&aire . 


• j> 


98 


Prince . 


• »> 


98 


Neptune . 


• »» 


98 


Dreadnought 


• it 


80 


Tonnant 


• • 11 


74 


Belleisle 


* )) 


74 


Revenge 


• »i 


74 


Mars . . , 


* a 


74 


Spartiate . 


• j» 


74 


Defiance . 


»» 


74 


Conqueror . 


• >» 


74 


Defence 


• »» 


74 


Colossus . 


• »» 



248 



THE FRENCH AND SPANISH. 



Guns. Names of Ships. 

74 Leviathan . 

74 Achille 

74 Bellerophon 

74 Minotaur , 

74 Orion . 

74 Swiftsure . 

74 4/^^ • 

74 Thunderer . 

64 Polyphemus 

64 Africa . 

64 Agamemnon 

36 Euryalus, frigate 

38 Naiad, „ 

36 PTicebe, „ 

36 Sirius, „ 

With the P«ife, 



Captains, &c. 
Capt. Henry William Bayntun. 

„ Eichard King. 

„ Jolm Cooke. 

„ Charles John Moore Mansfield. 

„ Edward Codrington. 

„ William George Kutherford, 
Lieut. John Pinfold (Acting Captain). 

„ John Stockham (Acting Captain). 
Capt. Eobert Eedmill. 

„ Henry Digby. 

„ Sir Edward Berry. 
• „ Hon. Henry Blackwood. 

,, Thomas Dundas. 

„ Hon. Bladen Capel. 

„ William Prowse. 
schooner, and Entreprenante, cutter. 



The French and Spanish Fleets. 

Under the command of Vice-Admiral Villeneuve. 
Second in command, Vice-Admiral Gravina. 



Guns. Names of Ships. 

80 Bucentaure 

80 Formidable 

80 Neptune . 

80 Indomptdble 

74 Alg^siras . 

74 Pluton . . 

74 Mont Blanc 

74 Intrepide . 

74 Swiftsure . 

74 Aigle . . 

74 Scipion 

74 Buguay-Trouin 

74 Berwick , 

74 Argonaute . 

74 Achille 

74 Redoubtable 

74 Fougucux . 

74 Heros . . 
Frigates : — Cornelie, 

Argus and Furet* 



FRENCH SHIPS. 

Captains, &c. 
rVice- Admiral P. Ch. Villeneuve. 
\ Capt. Jean- Jacques Magendie. 
JEear-Admiral P. E. Dumanoir-le-PeJley. 
\Capt. Jean-Marie Letellier. 
Commodore Esprit-Tranquille Maistral. 
„ Jean-Joseph Hubert. 

(Eear- Admiral Charles Magon. 
Capt. Gabriel Bronard. 
Conmiodore Cosmas-Kerjulien. 

„ Guillaume La Villegris. 

„ Louis-Antoine Infernet. 

Capt. L'Hospitalier-Villemadrin. 
„ Pierre Gourrege. 
„ Charles Berenger. 
„ Claude Touffet. 
„ Filhol- Camas. 
„ Jacques Epron. 
„ Gabriel Denieport. 
„ Jean- Jacques Lucas. 
„ Louis- Alexis Beaudouin. 
„ Jean-Baptiste Eemi Poulain. 
Hermicme, Eorteme, BMn, Tli^mis ; and brigs, 



THE TWENTY-FIRST OF OCTOBER. 



249 



SPANISH SHIPS. 

Captains, &c. 
i Bear- Admiral Don Hidalgo Cisneros. 
( Commodore Don Francisco de Uriarte. 
JAdmiral Don Frederico Gravina. 
(Rear- Admiral Don Antonio Escano. 
(Vice- Admiral Don Maria de Alava. 
\ Capt. Don Josef Gardoqui. 
Commodore Don Enrique Macdonel. 
„ Don Cayetano Valdes. 

„ Don Antonio Parejas. 

Capt Don Dionisio Galiano. 
„ Don Josef Salzedo. 
„ Don Felipe Xado Cagigal. 
„ Don Josef Bargas. 

> „ Don Cosme Churruca. 
„ Don Teodoro Argumosa. 

> „ Don Luis de Flores. 

„ Don Miguel Gaston. 
„ Don Josef Quevedo. 



Guns. Names of Ships. 
130 Santissima Tri- 

nidad 
112 Frincipe - de -Astu- 

Has . 

112 Santa Anna 

100 Rayo . 

80 Nepiuno 

80 Argonauta 

74 Bahama 

74 Montanez 

74 San Augustin 

74 San Ildefonso 

74 S. Juan-Nepomu- 

ceno . 

74 Monarca 

74 San Francisco-de- 

Asis . 

74 San Justo . 

74 San Leandro 

English Ships of the line 27, carrying 2,148 guns. 
French and Spanish do. 33, „ 2,626 „ 

[The British fleet was formed into two divisions, — 
the Weather Division, including the Victory^ Temeraire^ 
Nejptune, Leviathan, Conqueror, Britannia, Agamemnon, 
Africa, Ajax, Orion, Minotaur, Spartiate, Euryalus, and 
Naiad ; and the Lee Division, comprised of the Boyal 
Sovereign, Belleisle, Mars, Tonnant, Bellerojphon, Colossus, 
Achille, Dreadnought, Polyphemus, Bevenge, Swiftsure, 
Defiance, Thunderer, Defence, Prince, Phoebe, and Sirius,'\ 

Nelson came upon deck, shortly after daylight, on this 
memorable 21st of October. The day had long been 
regarded as a festival in his family, being the anni- 
versary of his uncle's (Captain Suckling) gallant repulse 
of a French squadron of four sail of the line, and three 
frigates, with only the Dreadnought and two other men- 
of-war ; and the hero of the Nile, " with that sort of 
superstition from which few persons are entirely ex- 



250 ANECDOTES OF NELSON. 

empt," had often expressed his conviction that it would 
prove Ms day of battle also. He was gratified at seeing 
that his piophecy was about to be fulfilled. 

The wind now came up from the west, in a fresh free 
breeze, and a heavy swell rolled along the deep. The 
British were approaching the enemy, but very slowly, 
for though the studding-sails were set, they did not 
make more than three knots an hour. Nelson occupied 
himself in visiting the diiferent decks of the Victory, 
and addressing the men at their quarters, warning them 
not to fire a single shot without being sure of their 
mark. Then he retired to his cabin, and wrote the 
following prayer : — 

'* May the great God, whom I worship, grant to my 
country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, a 
great and glorious victory, and may no misconduct in 
any one tarnish it ; and may humanity after victory be 
the predominant feature in the British fleet ! For myself 
individually, I commit my life to Him that made me ; 
and may his blessing alight on my endeavours for serv- 
ing my country faithfully ! To Him I resign myself, 
and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. 
Amen! Amen! Amen!" 

Afterwards he drew up a memorandum by which he 
bequeathed to the generous care of his King and country 
Lady Hamilton, and his adopted daughter, and then he 
once more went on deck. He wore his old admiral's 
frock-coat, with the four " w^eather-tarnished and 
lack-lustre stars alwa3^s to be seen there." His officers 
dreaded that so conspicuous an attire would especially 
indicate him to the enemy's riflemen, as it was believed 
that his life would be particularly aimed at; but his 
feelings on the subject were so well kno^Ti that no one 
dared to remonstrate with him. On a former occasion 
he had exclaimed, — '* In honour I gained them, and in 
honour I will die with them !" 

It was about six o'clock when Captain Blackwood, of 
the Euryalus, went on board the Victory, He found his 



ANECDOTES OF NELSvON. 251 

chief in good spirits, but calm and grave ; not glowing 
with the fire of inspiration as at the Nile and Copen- 
hagen ; for though he was sure of triumph, he was also 
confident of death. After watching for some time the 
manoeuvi'es of the enemy, he asked Blackwood what he 
should consider a complete victory ? He replied, that 
considering the superiority in force of the combined 
fleet, and the gallantry with which they ofiered battle, 
he thought it would be a triumphant issue if fourteen 
ships were captured. Nelson exclaimed, '* I shall not 
be satisfied with less than twenty." 

Considering that the Victory, both as the leading ship 
of the column, and as distinguished by Nelson's flag, 
would, on going into action, attract to herself the entire 
force of the enemy's fire, and knowing of how much 
value to England was the life of her greatest naval 
hero, both Blackwood and Hardy endeavoured to per- 
suade him to allow the Temeraire, then close astern, to 
forge ahead. Lord Nelson, '* smiling significantly at 
Captain Hardy," replied, " Oh yes, let her go ahead," 
and the Temeraire was hailed to that effect. *' But at 
about the same time," says Mr. James, " Lieutenant 
John Yule, who then commanded upon the forecastle, 
observing that the lee or starboard lower studding-sail 
was improperly set, caused it to be taken in for the 
purpose of setting it afresh. The instant this was done, 
Lord Nelson ran forward, and rated the lieutenant 
severely for having, as he supposed, begun to shorten 
sail without the captains orders. The studding-sail 
was quickly replaced; and the Victory, as the gallant 
chief intended, continued to lead the column." When 
the Temeraire ranged up on the Victory's quarter with 
the view of moving ahead, Lord Nelson hailed her ; and 
speaking with his usual " slight nasal intonation," said, 
*' I'll thank you, Captain Harvey, to keep in your proper 
station, which is astern of the Victory.'' 

Captain Blackwood, having received his chiefs last 
instructions, now took leave of him, to return on board 



252 THE FIRST SHOT. 

tlie Euryalus. Taking him by the hand, he expressed 
his hope that after the battle he should congratulate 
him on the capture of twenty prizes. Nelson replied, 
*' God bless you, Blackwood ; I shall never see you 
again." The Admiral next directed the Victory to steer 
more to the northward, and telegraphed to Colling wood, 
" I intend to pass through the van of the enemy's line 
to prevent him from getting into Cadiz;" and as ihe 
shoals of San Pedro and Trafalgar were now under the 
lee of the British fleet, the Vidm-y signalled for every 
ship to prepare to anchor at the close of day. 

These preparations being completed, the Admiral ob- 
served that " he must give the fleet something by way of 
a fillip ;" and after musing a while, remarked, " Suppose 
we telegraph that ' Nelson expects every man to do his 
duty.' " The officer whom he addressed suggested that 
it would be better, ^' England expects every man to do 
his duty." Lord Nelson exclaimed, ''Certainly, cer- 
tainly !" and at about 20 minutes to 12, there flew from 
the Victory's mizen topgallant-mast-head the famous 
signal which so thoroughly expresses an Englishman's 
idea of patriotism. 

" Not once or twice in our rough island-story, 
The path of duty was the path of glory." 

^ The moment the purport of the signal became known 
throughout the fleet, it was greeted with three earnest 
cheers on board' of every ship, and to each bold true 
English heart it appealed like a touch of inspiration ! 

It was now noon; the wind was light, but the sea 
heaved and rolled with a heavy swell from the west- 
ward ; the sunshine lit up with a dazzling sheen the 
glittering sides of the long line of the combined fleets ; 
when suddenly from the Fougueux, which occupied nearly 
the centre of the French and Spanish ships, rattled 
forth a heavy fire upon the Boyal Sovereign, which had 
approached considerably within range. That first 
SHOT — the opening of a great battle — the signal of a 



MOVEMENTS OF THE ADMIRAL. 253 

long and deadly strife — witli what an appalling sound 
it must fall upon the hearts of even the bravest! 
Of how many hopes, how many tender aspirations, how 
many vivid sympathies and beautiful emotions, it be- 
comes the knell I Far into the Future must echo its fatal 
voice, — ^the voice of a fallen empire or a liberated 
people. Nations and realms shall be shaken by it, and 
to many a desolate hearth and darkened home that First 
Shot shall be for ever as a black and bitter memory ! 

Sweeping past the Fougueux, the Boyal Sovereign took 
up a position close astern of the 112-gun ship the Santa 
Anna, and hurled upon her a broadside from double- 
shotted guns which killed or wounded nearly 400 of 
her crew. It was just at this moment that Colling- 
wood exclaimed to his captain, " Eotherham, what 
would Nelson give to be here !" and Nelson himself re- 
marked to those around him, *' See how that noble 
fellow Collingwood carries his ship into action !"* 

But our business in these pages is more immediately 
with the Victory, and leaving the other ships of the 
British fleet, for the present, to drive into the press of 
the great battle, we must now direct our attention to 
the movements of their Admiral. 

At twenty minutes past noon, the Bucentaure fired the 
first shot at the Victory, It fell short. A second fell 
alongside. A third went over the ship, and the sixth or 
seventh went through the maintop-gallant-sail. A 
pause ; and then, as if by signal from the French ad- 
miral, the whole of the van of the combined line opened 
so fearful a fire upon her, that it seemed wonderful 

* The following anecdote of Collingwood will interest the reader 
(from Sir Edward Gust's Annals of the Wars of the Idth Cen- 
tury) : — " He had dressed himself that morning with peculiar 
neatness and care, and, in conversation with some of his officers, 
recommended them to put on silk stockings as he had done ; * for,' 
said he, * if one should get a shot in the leg, they would be so much 
more manageable for the surgeon.' He likewise, as Nelson had 
done, visited his decks before he got into action, and said to his 
officers : * Now, gentlemen, let us do something to-day which the 
world may talk of hereafter.' '* 



254 WARM WORK. ' 

she did not reel under it. Mr. Scott, Lord Nelson's 
secretary, was killed by a cannon-ball while conversing 
with Captain Hardy. As he was a great favourite with 
the Admiral, Captain Adair, of the Marines, sought — 
with the help of a sailor — to remove the body out of 
sight ; but he anxiously inquired, '' Is that poor Scott 
that's gone?" and added, "Poor fellow!" Another 
shot struck a party of marines drawn up on the quarter- 
deck, and killed eight of them; whereupon Nelson 
desired their captain to disperse his men about the ship, 
that they might not suifer so much from being together. 
Presently, a shot struck the fore-brace bits on the 
quarter-deck, and whistled between i^elson and Hardy, 
bruising the left foot of the latter with a splinter. 
Both instantly stopped, and looked at each other in- 
quiringly, each thinking the other wounded. The 
Admiral then smiled and said, " This is too warm work, 
Hardy, to last long," and added, that in all the battles 
he had seen, he had never witnessed more cool courage 
than on this occasion was exhibited by the Victory's 
gallant crew. 

For up to this time the Victory had not fired a single 
gun. But the enemy having discovered that Nelson, 
like Collingwood, intended to break through their line, 
now closed up into an almost impenetrable wall, and 
Hardy pointed out that he must run on board one of 
their ships if a passage was to be effected. " I cannot 
help it," replied Nelson; *' it does not signify which 
we run on board of. Go on board which you please." 
At this moment the Victory had lost, by the destructive 
fire to which she had been exposed, no less than twenty- 
killed and thirty wounded, and her sails and rigging 
were severely damaged. She still moved ahead, how- 
ever, and about one o'clock, poured into the cabin 
windows of the Bucentaure her first fire, — a 68-pounder 
carronade loaded with round shot, and a keg containing 
600 musket-balls. Keeping on her way she deliberately 
hurled at her unfortunate antagonist every gun of the 




ISTELSOK 

See THE STORY OF THE ' VICTORY.'— Paj/e 255. 



ATTACKS THE ** REDOUBTABLE." 265 

remaining fifty upon her broadside, each double or treble 
shotted. So close were the two ships that their yards 
touched, and *' had there been wind enough to blow it 
out, the large French ensign trailing at the Bucentaure's 
peak might, even at this early period of the action, 
have been a trophy in the hands of the Victory's crew." 
The French loss, according to their own account, 
equalled that which the Santa Anna sustained from the 
Itoyal Sovereign's fire, and the Biicentaiire was reduced 
to an almost defenceless condition. The French 80-gun 
ship Nejptune now took up the game, and crashed into 
the bows of the Victory with a most destructive fire. 
But fearing that the English three-decker intended to 
run on board of her, she ranged ahead, and Captain 
Hardy, putting his helm hard a-port, swept up against 
the Bedouhtahle, and the boom-iron of the Victory catch- 
ing the leech of the fore-topsail of the latter, the two 
ships were closely linked together. 

Almost immediately after the Victory had thus got 
hooked alongside an opponent, her boatswain cleared the 
French ship's gangways with the starboard 68-pounder 
carronade, and the guns of the middle and lower decks 
also rattled upon her. The Bedouhtahle returned the 
fire with her main- deck guns, and with musketry from 
her three tops harassed the Victory's deck. The Victory 
also kept up a constant fire at the Santissima Trinidad. 

'' Kever allowing mere personal comfort," says Mr. 
James, " to interfere with what he considered to be the 
good of the service, Lord Kelson, when the Victory was 
fitting to receive his flag, ordered the large skylight 
over his cabin to be removed, and the space planked up, 
so as to afford him a walk amidships, clear of the guns 
and ropes. Here, along an extent of deck of about 21 
feet in length, bounded abaft by the stancheon of the 
wheel, and forward by the combings of the cabin ladder- 
way, were the Admiral and Captain Hardy, during the 
whole of the operations we have just detailed, taking 
their customary promenade. At about 1 h. 25 m. p.m., 



256 KELSON WOUNDED. 

just as the two liad arrived within one pace of the 
regular turning spot at the cabin ladder-way, Lord 
Nelson, who, regardless of quarter-deck etiquette, was 
walking on the larboard side, suddenly faced left about. 
Captain Hardy, as soon as he had taken the other step, 
turned also, and saw the Admiral in the act of falling. 
He was then on his knees, with his left hand just touch- 
ing the deck. The arm giving way. Lord Nelson fell on 
his left side, exactly upon the spot where his secretary, 
Mr. Scott, had breathed his last, and with whose blood 
his lordship's clothes were soiled." 

A ball fired from the mizen-top of the Bedouhtdble had 
struck the fore part of his epaulet, entered the left 
shoulder, and, descending, had lodged in his spine. 
Captain Hardy immediately expressed a hope his chief 
was not severely wounded. Lord Nelson, with the 
sure prescience of a dying man, replied, " They have 
done for me at last. Hardy." " I hope not," said the 
captain. " Yes," continued Nelson, ** my backbone is 
shot through." Sergeant Seeker, of the Marines, and 
two seamen, who had run up on seeing the Admiral fall, 
now bore him to the cock-pit ; and such was his coolness 
and presence of mind that he observed, as he was carried 
down the ladder, the tiller-ropes which had been shot 
away, were not yet replaced, and ordered new ones to 
be rove immediately. Then, that he might not be 
recognized by the crew, he took out his handkerchief, 
and covered his face and stars. The cock-pit was 
crowded with the wounded and dying, over whose 
bodies he was conveyed with difficulty, and laid upon 
a purser's bed. Here his wound was immediately ex- 
amined by the surgeon, and found to be mortal. It 
was evident that he suffered great pain. *' He fre- 
quently called for drink, and to be fanned with paper, 
making use of these words : * Fan, fan,' and * drink, 
drink.' " 

In about an hour and ten minutes after he had re- 
ceived his wound he was gratified by a visit from Cap- 



HIS LAST HOURS. 257 

tain Hardy, for whom he had often inquired. '' Will 
no one bring Hardy to me ? He must be killed ! He is 
surely dead !" They shook hands in silence, for Hardy 
dared not give vent to his emotions. *' Well, Hardy/' 
said Nelson, ''how goes the day with us?" "Very 
well," was the reply; '' ten ships have stiiick, but five 
of the van have tacked, and show an intention of bearing 
down upon the Victory. I have, therefore, called two 
or three of our fresh ships round us, and have no doubt 
of giving them a drubbing." " I hope," said his lord- 
ship, '' none of our ships have struck. Hardy." '' Xo, 
my lord, there is no fear of that." Lord Xelson then 
said : "I am a dead man, Hardy. I am going fast : it 
will be all over with me soon." 

The captain now returned on deck ; and shortly after- 
wards, the Victory opened her larboard gims upon Eear- 
Admiral Dumanoir's squadron, which was sailing to 
windward, and some of her starboard guns upon the 
French Sicifisure, then preparing to rake the Colossits. 
The firing so affected the dying Admiral that he ex 
claimed, " Oh, Victory, Victory, how you distract my 
poor brain!" Adding, after a moment's pause, " How 
dear is life to all men !" 

By this time he had lost all feeling below the breast, 
and having made the surgeon ascertain this, he said to 
him, "You know I am gone; I know it. I feel 
something rising in my breast" — putting his hand 
on his left side — " which tells me so." And upon 
Dr. Beatty's inquiring whether his pain was very great, 
he replied, " So great that I wish I was dead. Yet," he 
added, in a lower voice, " one would like to live a 
little longer too." In the same tone, a few minutes 
later, he cried, " What would become of poor Lady 
Hamilton if she knew my situation ?" 

About fifty minutes had elapsed since Captain Hardy's 
return to the deck, and he now again presented himself 
before his revered chief. Taking his hand, he con- 
gratulated him on having gained a glorious victory, 



258 HIS DEATH AND CHARACTEB. 

* 

whicli, lie said, was complete, though, he did not know 
to a certainty how many of the enemy's ships had sur- 
rendered. Bnt assuredly not less than fourteen or fifteen. 
Nelson answered, '' That is well, but I bargained for 
twenty;" and then emphatically exclaimed, " Anchor, 
Hardy, anchor !" — " I suppose, my lord. Admiral Col- 
ling wood will now take upon himself the direction of 
affairs." — '^ Not while I live, I hope, Hardy," cried 
Nelson, ineffectually endeavouring to raise himself. 
" No, do you anchor. Hardy." Presently, calling the 
captain back, he said to him in a low voice, " Don't 
throw this poor carcase overboard," and expressed a 
desire that he might be buried by his parents, unless 
the King should please to order otherwise. Then, the 
home-feelings and the home-sympathies again woke up 
in his heart: — " Take care of my dear Lady Hamilton, 

Hardy : take care of poor Lady Hamilton 

Kiss me, Hardy." Hardy knelt down and kissed his 
cheek. Nelson then said : '' Now I am satisfied. Thank 
God I have done my duty." Hardy stood over him in 
silence for a moment ; then knelt again, and kissed his 
forehead. *' Who is that?" said Nelson; and being 
informed, he replied, " God bless you. Hardy." 

Nelson now asked to be turned upon his right side, 
and said, '' I wish I had not left the deck ; for I shall 
soon be gone." To the chaplain he said, " Doctor, I 
have not been a great sinner;" and, after a short pause, 
" Kemember that I leave Lady Hamilton and my 
daughter Horatia as a legacy to my country." His 
articulation grew very indistinct, but he was heard 
frequently to repeat, " Thank God, I have done my 
duty." They were his last words, and they summed up 
the lesson of his life. He expired, without a struggle or 
a groan, at thirty minutes past four, — three hours and a 
quarter after he had received his wound. 

" The most triumphant death," says Southey, elo- 
quently, " is that of the martyr ; the most awful that of 
the martyred patriot; the most splendid that of tho 



NELSON AS A DISCIPLINARIAN. 259 

hero in the hour of victory : and if the chariot and the 
horses of fire had been vouchsafed for Kelson's trans- 
lation, he could scarcely have departed in a brighter 
blaze of glory. He has left us, not indeed his mantle 
of inspiration, but a name and an example, which are at 
this hour inspiring thousands of the youth of England : 
a name which is our pride, and an example which will 
continue to be our shield and our strength." 

It is unnecessary for us to pronounce any eulogium 
upon the hero of Aboukir, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar. 
Such a labour would be as futile as the task of the 
herald who stands over the tombs of princes, and re- 
peats the long roll of their titles and honours. Kelson's 
fame is part and parcel of the glory of England, who 
among all her illustrious Worthies never had one whom 
she loved so well. Others have received her gratitude, 
her praise, her reverence. She loaded honours and 
rewards upon Wellington, for he had deserved well of 
the commonwealth •; but yet Wellington was never the 
people's hero. He was, so to speak, too much of an 
abstraction ; his very virtues, his very freedom from the 
ordinary errors of humanity, raised him above the com- 
mon crowd. But Kelson was thoroughly English in his 
genius, his follies, even his antipathies. His patriotism 
was so warm ; his loyalty so ardent ; his courage so 
audacious ; there was in that weak and diminutive body 
such a soul of fire ; that everybody was irresistibly 
attracted to him, and inspired by the impulses which 
inspired himself. The people did not love him the less 
for his errors, — they served by their contrast to heighten 
and exalt his virtues. He was their Kelson; not the 
Kelson of the court or the aristocracy, but the Kelson 
of the people of England. How they rejoiced in his 
victories ! How they mourned over his death ! 

Kelson was no common man. He was not simply a 
brave and dashing seaman ; he was a consummate naval 
tactician ; and never before or since has England pro- 
duced an officer -who so thoroughly understood the 

^3 



260 HIS FUNERAL. 

management of great fleets. He was the Napoleon of 
tlie British, navy, and revolutionised the tactics and 
administration of our marine. All his victories were 
gained over considerably superior forces, and in the face 
of obstacles which would have seemed insuperable to a 
man of inferior genius. Though greedy of glory he was 
incapable of selfishness, and delighted in duly acknow- 
ledging the services of those who fought under him, 
and who owed so much to his splendid example. 
Though a strict disciplinarian, he never wearied his men 
with useless minutiaB or unwise restraints, and accord- 
ingly received their entire confidence and devoted love. 
No admiral, except Earl St. Yincent, ever equalled 
him in the successful formation of a school of intelligent 
officers. Men bred up under the eye of Nelson were fit 
to go anywhere, and do anything; they were capable 
of the greatest achievements, for insensibly they had 
become imbued with his own spirit, and learned the 
great lessons which his career was continually teaching. 
His daring, his intrepidity, his presence of mind, his 
fi^rmness of purpose, they could all understand and 
imitate ; it was only the originality of his genius and 
the comprehensiveness of his intellect which they could 
not hope to rival. 

The hero's body was conveyed to England in the 
Victory, and on the 6th of January 1806, after lying for 
some days in state at Greenwich Hospital, was interred 
with elaborate pomp in St. Paul's Cathedral ; a vast and 
sorrowing multitude attending the solemn obsequies. 
The leaden coffin in which his remains were brought 
home was cut in pieces, and these were distributed as 
relics of Saint Nelson — so the gunner of the Victory 
called him ;— »-and when, at his interment, his flag was 
about to be lowered into his tomb, the seamen who were 
present — as if with one accord, and at a given signal — 
rent it into fragments, that each might preserve the 
memorial while he lived. 

Statues and monuments were voted by most of our 



DETAII^ OF THE BATTlE. 2G1 

principal cities, and notably the tall column in London, 
which still, to our dishonour, remains unfinished. His 
brother was created an earl, with a grant of 6000Z, per 
annum ; 10,000/. were voted to each of his sisters ; and 
100,000Z. for the purchase of an estate. 

Having thus brought to a close our narrative of Kel- 
son's death, we intend to trace, very briefly, the share 
of the Victcyi^y in this famous battle, which virtually anni- 
hilated the navies of France and Spain, and freed the 
shores of England from all apprehension of invasion. 
But, fi.rst, we may extract from Mr. James's elaborate 
Naval History a general view of the engagement, and 
its immediate results : — 

" Soon after the first four ships of the British lee- 
division had cut through between the centre and rear of 
the Franco-Spanish line, the remainder successively, as 
they came up, pierced the mass (for it could no longer 
be called line) of enemy's ships, in various directions, 
and found opponents as they could. Meanwhile the 
leading ships of the weather-division had begun to 
engage in a similar manner, a little ahead of the centre. 
The action, which had commenced at noon, arrived at 
its height about 1*30 p.m. At 3 p.m. the firing began 
to slacken, and, at about 5 p.m., wholly ceased. Of the 
fourteen van-ships of the combined line, reckoning to the 
Medouhtahle inclusive, three only were captured in their 
places. The remaining eleven wore out of the line. Of 
these eleven, three were captured, and eight escaped; 
four by hauling to windward, and four by running for 
Cadiz. Of the nineteen rear-ships, twelve, including one 
burnt, were taken, and seven escaped into Cadiz ; mak- 
ing, as the result of the first day's proceedings, nine 
French (including one burnt), and nine Spanish sail of 
the line captured, total eighteen ; and nine French, and six 
Spanish sail of the line escaped, total fifteen : of which lat- 
ter number four French ships got away to the southward 
[and were captured by Sir Eichard Strachan], and eleven, 
five of them French and six Spanish, and most of the 



262 DETAILS OV THE BATTLt:. 

ships mucli scattered, with all the frigates and brigs, 
reached the bay of Cadiz." 

After Lord Nelson had been removed below, the fire 
from the Bedoubtahle's tops was kept up with such 
terrible effect that, in a few minutes, several officers and 
about forty men, nearly the whole of them upon the 
upper deck, were killed or wounded. The few effec- 
tive men who escaped the enemy's musketry were em- 
ployed in removing their wounded comrades below, and 
the quarter-deck and poop being thus comparatively 
empty, the officers and crew of the Bedouhtahle seized 
the opportunity, and made a gallant attempt to board. A 
party of the Victory s officers and men, however, soon 
sprang up the stairs from the lower decks, and after a 
quick sharp interchange of firing, repulsed the French, 
but not without a considerable loss. Captain Adair and 
eighteen men were killed, and two officers and twenty 
men wounded. 

The hand-grenades flung from the tops of the Redoubt- 
able did far less mischief to her antagonists than herself, 
for some of them falling among her larboard fore -chains 
and starboard fore-shrouds, set them on fire. The flames 
quickly caught the foresail of her antagonist, the *' brave 
old Temeraire,^^ but her energetic crew extinguished them 
before they became serious, ^^he Victory's men, after 
having put out a fire that had Spread itself among some 
ropes and canvas on the boom^ also lent their aid to 
extinguish the fire on board the Bedoubtabhy and flung 
bucketsful of water from the gangway upon her chains 
and forecastle. 

The Bedoubtable now ceased hostilities, and became 
the prize of the Victory, Her other antagonist, the 
Temeraire, was now grappling with the Fougueux. She 
poured in a terrible broadside, which crashed through 
every timber of the French vessel, and the latter, reel- 
ing under the shock, and running foul of the Temeraire, 
was immediately lashed fast by her fore rigging. She 



LOSS ON BOARD THE *' VICTORY." 263 

was then boarded by Lieut. Kennedy, and twenty-eight 
gallant fellows, and in ten minutes was in the possession 
of the English. The Victonj now disengaged herself 
from the shattered spars and rigging of the Bedouht- 
able, and the Temeraire sent a prize crew on board the 
latter. 

The damages sustained by the Victory were necessarily 
very great ; her mizen topmast was shot away ; her hull 
much damaged ; not a yard or spar that was not wounded ; 
the rigging was literally cut to pieces ; and some shots 
had been received between wind and water. Her roll of 
killed and wounded also illustrated the glorious part 
she had borne in the victory of Trafalgar. Besides Lord 
Nelson and his secretary, she had her captain of 
marines, one lieutenant, two midshipmen, the captain's 
clerk, 32 seamen and 18 marines, killed; two lieu- 
tenants, two lieutenants of marines, three midship- 
men, and 95 seamen and marines, ivounded. It was 
by such sacrifices as these that our forefathers main- 
tained the freedom and asserted the honour of the '' in- 
violate isle!" 

Before closing our sketches of this memorable battle, 
we shall briefly indicate what was accomplished in it by 
each British ship. We have already spoken of the 
Temeraire, which had 47 killed and 76 wounded. The 
Boyal Sovereign (Collingwood's flag-ship) first engaged 
the Santa Anna, and in one hour and five minutes 
compelled her to surrender, after a desperate and 
well - contested action. She lost 47 killed, and 94 
wounded. 

The Belleisle, on entering into action, sustained a tre- 
mendous fire from the rear of the combined line ; 
exchanged broadsides with the Monarca and Santa Anna ; 
engaged the San Juan Nepomuceno, and was also beset by 
the Fougueux, which, on the coming up of the Mars, 
dropped astern. She was afterwards surrounded by the 
AchiUe, the Aigle, the San Justo, and San Leandro, and 
reduced to a perilous extremity. At half-past two the 



264 WHAT EACH BRITISH SHIP ACCOMPLISHED. 

Frencli Neptune placed herself across her starboard bow, 
and it was high time that relief arrived. Foi'tiinately 
the Polyphemus and Defiance now came up, and soon 
afterwards the &(J^/^swre engaged the ^cMZe. "As the 
Swiftsure passed close nnder the Belleisle's stern the two 
ships cheered each other ; and to signify that, notwith- 
standing her dismasted and shattered state, the Belleisle 
remained nnconquered, a union-jack was suspended at 
the end of a pike and held up to view, while an ensign 
was being made fast to the stump of her mizenmast." 
Killed, 33 ; wounded, 93. 

The Mars was chiefly engaged with the Pluton, but 
had also to contend with a heavy fire from the Fougueux. 
Captain Duff was killed about Ih. lorn. p.m. Killed, 29 ; 
wounded, 69. 

The Tonnant, after relieving the Ma7^s from two Spanish 
ships, engaged the Monarca, and compelled her to haul 
down her colours. Next she ran aboard of the Algesiras,^ 
and fought her gallantly for upwards of an hour. The 
Algesiras then surrendered, and was taken possession of. 
The San Juan also struck her colours to the Tonnant, 
Killed, 26 ; wounded, 50. 

Of the Bellerophon we have spoken in another part 
of our little volume. She took possession of both 
the Monarca and the Bahama, — the latter, however, 
having struck to the Colossus, Killed, 27 ; wounded, 
123. 

The Colossus suffered more severely in her aggregate 
of killed and wounded than any other British ship. She 
was closely engaged with the Argonaute, which she 
silenced ; and afterwards with the Bahama, and the 
French Swiftsure. After a hot contest, both surrendered. 
Killed, 40 ; wounded, 160. 

The Achille (English) engaged the Montanez, which in 
fifteen minutes was glad to sheer off, and then proceeded 
to the relief of the Belleisle. In doing so she was met 
by the Argonaute, and a warm engagement ensued. The 
Berivich now came up, and the Spanish shijD dro23ped to 



FURTHER PARTICULARS. 265 

leeward. After an lionr's action tlie Berwiclc surrendered. 
Killed, 13 ; wounded, 59. 

The Leviathan first directed her attention to the Bucen- 
taure, and afterwards to the French Neptune^ and the San 
Augustin, which she carried by boarding. Killed, 4; 
wounded, 22. 

The Conqueror engaged the Bucentaure, which had pre- 
viously been shattered by the Victory's terrible broadside 
(see p. 254), and took possession of her. Killed, 3; 
wounded, 9. 

The Neptune had also a brush with the Bucentaure, and 
afterwards engaged the Santissima Trinidad, Being 
joined by the Africa, she silenced the great Spanish, 
three-decker, which, at the close of the action, was 
boarded and taken in tow by the Prince. The Neptune 
had 10 killed, and 34 wounded; the Africa, 18 killed, 
and 44 wounded. 

IferThe Orion attacked the Intrepide with so heavy a can- 
nonade that in ten to fifteen minutes she surrendered, 
having lost, in killed and wounded, nearly 200 of her 
crew. Killed, 1 ; wounded, 23. 

The Britannia was engaged, first, with the San Fran- 
cisco, and, second, with the Bayo, three-decker. Killed, 
10 ; wounded, 42. 

The Agamemnon exchanged broadsides with several of 
the French and Spanish ships. Killed, 2 ; wounded, 8. 

The AJax sustained but little damage. Killed, 2 ; 
wounded, 9. 

The Minotaur and Spartiale did not get into action 
until late, when they pounced upon the Si^eimsh. Neptuno, 
which was compelled to surrender. The Minotaur had 
3 killed, and 22 wounded; the Spartiate 3 killed, and 20 
wounded. 

The Dreadnought engaged and captured the San Juan, 
She then attacked Admiral Gravina's ship, the Principe- 
de-Asiurias ; but the Spaniard, after two or three 
broadsides, made sail and escaped. Killed, 7 ; wounded, 
26. 



266 THE *« victory'* in PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR. 

The Erjglisli Swiftsure engaged the AcMlle, which 
found afterwards a second antagonist in the Polyphemus. 
The AcJiilU was soon silenced. The Swiftsure had 
9 killed and 8 wounded ; the Polyphemus, 2 killed and 
4 wounded. 

The Defence, after an hour's engagement, compelled 
the San Ildefonso to strike her colours. Killed, 7 ; 
wounded, 29. 

The Thunderer assisted the Dreadnought in her attack 
upon the Principe- de-Asturias, and was afterwards en- 
gaged by the Freuch Neptune. Killed, 4; wounded, 12. 

The Defiance, after a brisk brush with the Principe, 
ran alongside of the Aigle, " boarded her with little re- 
sistance, got possession of the poop and quarter-deck, 
hauled down the French colours, and hoisted the Eng- 
lish in their stead ; when, suddenly, so destructive a fire 
of musketry was opened upon the boarders from the 
forecastle, waist, and tops of the Aigle, that the Briti|^ 
were glad to quit her, and escape back to their ship." 
The Defiance, therefore, recommenced her cannonading, 
and in twenty-five minutes the Frenchman surrendered. 
Killed, 17; wounded, 53. 

The total loss in the English fleet amounted to 449 
killed, and 1241 wounded. 

Every English lad must know that the Victory, since 
the day of Trafalgar, has been carefully preserved in 
Portsmouth Harbour, — the best of all monuments to her 
great Admiral's fame. She has been so frequently re- 
paired that very little of Nelson's ship remains ; but the 
spot on the deck where he fell is still pointed out, and 
the corner in the cockpit where he expired. On the 
. anniversary of Trafalgar, October 21st, she is gaily 
decorated with wreaths of evergreen ; and no stranger, 
for the first time in Portsmouth Harbour, fails to visit 
the historic vessel which, in the most decisive naval 
battle of the century, bore the flag of England's most 
illustrious naval hero. Esto perpetua ! May her name 
never pass away from the records of the British Navy ! 



207 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE STORY OF A SHIPWRECIC. 

"The Alceste." 

[Period of Service : Reign of George III. 
Strength : 46 guns, 218 men, 900 tons.] 

*• The shore look'd wild, without a trace of man, 
And girt by formidable waves ; but they 
Were mad for land, and thus their course they ran. 

Though right ahead the roaring breakers lay : 
A reef between them also now began 
^ To show its boihng surf and bounding spray. 

But finding no place for a landing better, 
They ran the boat for shore." — Byron, 

In the preceding chapters we have sketched the careers 
of some of the most famous ships of the British navy, 
and recorded many of those deeds of brilliant courage 
and resolute intrepidity which have won for the British 
sailor so exalted a character. Before closing our little 
volume, and bidding farewell to those kind readers who 
have followed thus far our simple narratives, we propose 
also to show him under circumstances of peculiar peril 
and privation, as we have shown him in the flush of 
victory and the glow of success, and to tell, as concisely 
as possible, the spirit-stirring Story of the Wreck of the 
Aleeste. We shall preface it, however, with a few details 
of her earlier adventures. 

The Alcests was a fine 46-gun frigate, commissioned in 
1806 by Captain Murray Maxwell, an officer who had 
previously distinguished himself by his skill, discretion, 
and courage. 



268 ACTION WITH GUN-BOATS. 

On the 4tli of April 1808, she lay at anchor about 
three miles from Cadiz, in company with the 28-gun fri- 
gate Mercury^ and 18-gun brig Grasshopper, A large 
convoy, protected by abont twenty gun-boats, and a nu- 
merous train of flying artillery, which moved along the 
beach, was observed creeping along the coast from the 
northward. Captain Maxwell immediately determined 
to cut them off, and the squadron weighing stood in 
shore. The Alceste and Mercury flung their fire upon 
the gun-boats, while the Grasshopper from her light 
draught of water got nearer in, and engaged the bat- 
teries. She soon drove the Spanish from their guns, and 
so ably directed was all her movements, that Captain 
Maxwell, in his account of the action, says — " It was a 
general cry in both ships, ' Onl}?- look how nobly the 
brig behaves !' " 

The boats of the Alceste and 3Iercury, under their re- 
spective lieutenants, now pushed off, and made a gallant 
dash upon the convoy, bringing off, from under the very 
guns of the enemy, whose forces by this time had been 
considerably augmented, seven loaded " tartans." Two 
of the gun-boats, meanwhile, were destroyed by the can- 
nonades of the English frigates, and several driven on 
shore ; and this spirited and successful affair was thus 
happily concluded with the loss of only one man mor- 
tally and two severely wounded. 

The Alceste was next employed as a cruiser upon the 
coast of Italy; and in 1811 we find her in the '* storm}^ 
Adriatic," in company with the frigates Active and 
Unite. 

On the 28th of November, at early dawn, while lying 
in Port St. George, in the Island of Lissa, the appear- 
ance of three suspicious sail in the south was tele- 
graphed. Captain Maxwell immediately concluded they 
were French ; unmoored ; and began warping out of har- 
bour against a strong head wind ; and such were the 
strenuous exertions of both officers and men that by the 
evening all three frigates were at sea, and crowding on 



CAPTURE OF THE " TOMONE." 269 

every stitcli of canvas they could carry in pursuit of the 
enemy. They came up with them about eleven o'clock 
the next morning, and discovered them to be the 40 gun 
frigates Pauline and Pomone, and ihe frigate-built store- 
ship PersannCj of 26 guns, on their way to join the 
French squadron at Trieste. The French, finding them- 
selves discovered, hung out all their sails, and endea- 
voured to escape, but the Alceste soon gained upon the 
Pomone, and the Unite overhauled the Persanne, 

The Alceste got engaged with the Pomone about a 
quarter past one, but, giving and receiving a broadside, 
pushed ahead to fight the Pauline, the Commodore's ship. 
At this moment a shot from the Pomone carried away 
her maintopmast, and as it fell over her side, cheers 
from both the French frigates of " Vive I'Empereur " 
were lustily raised. *' They thought the day their own," 
says Captain Maxwell, "not aware of what a second I 
had in my gallant friend Captain Gordon, who pushed 
the Active up under every sail." 

The Active brought the Pomone to close action about 
two, and soon afterwards the French commodore en- 
gaged the Alceste, But seeing that his companion stood 
no chance against the Active, he suddenly set all sail, 
and stood to the westward. The Alceste now bore up, 
and directed her fire at the Pomone, which, — her 
main and mizen masts coming down by the board, — 
hoisted a union-jack as a signal of surrender. The 
Pauline escaped, owing to the disabled condition of the 
British frigates ; but the Persanne struck her colours to 
the Unite, 

According to naval etiquette Captain Maxwell, as 
senior officer, was entitled to the sword of the captain 
of the Pomone, but with the generosity of a noble spirit, 
no sooner did he receive it than he presented it to 
Captain Gordon, considering the Pomone to be fairly the 
prize of the Active, 

In this brilliant affair the Alceste, out of a crew of only 
218 men and boys, had 7 killed and 13 wounded. Th^ 



270 ' EMBASSY TO CHINA. 

Active lost 8 killed, and 27 wounded. Captain Gordon 
lost his leg, a 36-potind shot striking him on the knee- 
joint, — '' carrying all off as if it had been done with a 
knife, and leaving the leg hanging by the tendons." 

Captain Maxwell was shortly afterwards removed to 
the Dcedalus, 3 8 -gun frigate, ordered on a cruise in the 
Indian seas, but had the misfortune to be wrecked, 
upon a reef of rocks, off the island of Ceylon. Fortu- 
nately all the crew were saved. (July 2nd, 1813.) 

Towards the close of the year 1815, the English 
Government determined to send an embassy to the 
court of Pekin, with the view of inducing the Chinese 
government to remove some of the restrictions which 
impeded commercial enterprise and pressed heavily 
upon European traders. This delicate and important 
mission was intrusted to Lord Amherst; and the 46-gun 
frigate, the Alceste, was commissioned by Captain Murray 
Maxwell for the reception of the ambassador and his 
suite. 

The Alceste sailed from Spithead on the 9th of Febru- 
ary 1816, and arrived in the Chinese seas in the July 
following. Lord Amherst duly cai'ried out the objects 
of his embassy, and having satisfactorily concluded his 
negotiations with the court of Pekin, left China on his 
return to England on the 9th of January 1817. The 
Alceste arrived at Manilla on the 3rd of February, and 
finally sailed for home on the 9th. 

At that time of the year the passage through the 
Straits of Caspar is considered preferable to that of the 
Straits of Banca, from its greater width and depth of 
water. Thither, therefore, Captain Maxwell directed 
the Alceste ; and on the morning of the 18th of February 
she made Caspar Island, and soon afterwards came in 
sight of Pulo Leat, or Middle Island. A gentle wind 
was blowing from the north- west ; the sea was smooth 
and tranquil ; but as the waters were much discoloured 
by a quantity of fish-spawn, great care was used in 
steering the frigate to prevent her running on any 



WRF.CK OF THE *'ALCESTE." 271 

hidden rock. Captain Maxwell^ the master, and his 
officers were all on deck, and there seemed no cause for 
apprehension, as the soundings corresponded exactly 
with the charts, when the ship, about half-past seven, 
struck with a terrible crash on a sunken reef, and 
remained immoveable ! 

All hands were set to work at the pumps ; but it soon 
became evident that no exertions could keep the water 
under, and in a very few minutes it rose above the 
orlop deck. The boats were therefore hoisted out, and 
Captain Maxwell attended to the safety of Lord Amherst 
and his suite, who, with a guard of marines for their 
protection, were despatched as quickly as possible to 
the Island of Pulo Leat, then distant between three and 
four miles. There it was hoped a supply of fresh water 
and tropical fruits might be procured. 

Meanwhile, Captain Maxwell and his men were stre- 
nuously exerting themselves to obtain from the sub- 
merged hold a supply of provisions ; but experienced no 
slight difficulty in the attempt from the force and depth 
of the water. The boats returned from Pulo Leat 
in the afternoon, but their report was a gloomy one ; 
there were no signs of food or water on the island, and 
the approach to the shore was much impeded by the 
mangrove trees, which grew out to a considerable dis- 
tance. No other resource, however, presented itself, 
and by eight o'clock that evening, all the crew were 
landed but one division, who, with the captain, first- 
lieutenant, and some other officers, remained that night 
on board the wreck. And a perilous and stormy night 
it proved ! Happily the ship remained stationary on 
the reef, and the wind moderating towards morning, no 
catastrophe occurred. About six o'clock, the boats re- 
turned, and Captain Maxwell pushed off to Pulo Leat 
to consult with Lord Amherst upon his future move- 
ments. Mr. Hick, the first-lieutenant, remained in 
charge of the wreck, and a boat was stationed there to 
receive him and his men if any danger arose. 



272 THE ISLAND OF PULO LEAT. 

Captain Maxwell arrived at the island near noon, and 
found the ambassador, his suite, and the officers and 
crew of the Alceste in a position of considerable dis- 
comfort. They had landed on a most noxious salt 
water marsh, whence the tropic sun drew up a cloud 
of pestilential vapour. Few of the party — not even the 
ambassador himself — had on other attire than a shirt 
and a pair of trousers, while all around, and on the 
neighbouring trees, fluttered a curiously heterogeneous 
assemblage of mandarin robes, gay Chinese shawls, court 
dresses, tarr}^ shirts, canvas trousers, and check shirts ! 

Captain Maxwell's primary object was to insure Lord 
Amherst's safety ; and he therefore determined, with his 
lordship's assent, to send the members of the embassy 
to Batavia in the barge and cutter, under escort of a 
party of marines, to protect the boats from the j)iratical 
Malays. It was arranged that on their arrival at Ba- 
tavia, Mr. Ellis, the ambassador's secretary, should 
charter a vessel, and return to the island for the crew 
and officers of the Alceste. 

"• A small quantity of provisions," says Mr. Gilly, 
whose concise account we have closely followed, *' and 
nine gallons of water, was all that could be spared from 
their very scanty store ; but at sunset every heart was 
exhilarated by hope and sympathetic courage, on seeing 
the ambassador strip, and wade off to the boats with as 
much cheerfulness as if he had stepped into them under 
a salute. At seven o'clock, the barge, under the charge 
of Lieutenant Hoppner, and the cutter, commanded by 
Mr. Mayne, the master, containing in all 47 persons, 
took their departure for Batavia, accompanied by the 
anxious thoughts and good wishes of their fellow-suf- 
ferers, who were left to encounter new dangers." 

A party was now told off to dig for water. But a 
small supply had been obtained from the wreck, and 
each man, for the last two days, had- been limited to a 
pint apiece. Another was set to v/ork to cut a path to 
the summit of the hill, where Captain Maxwell resolved 



MALAY PIRATES. 273 

to establish his encampment ; and a third was employed 
to remove thither the scanty stock of provisions. These 
labourers under a tropic sun, half fed and half clothed, 
suffered severely from thirst. But about midnight 
descended a heavy shower, affording a delightful relief. 
The men caught it by spreading out their table-cloths 
and garments, and when these were thoroughly wetted, 
wiimg their delicious contents into their parched mouths. 
Shortly afterwards, the well-diggers announced that they 
had found water ; an announcement which was received 
with enthusiastic cheers. During the following day it 
supplied each person with a pint of water, and as it 
savoured something of a milky taste, the men added a 
little rum, and then declared that it formed most delec- 
table milk-punch. 

On Friday, the 21st, the party engaged in rescuing 
from the wreck what stores they could get at, descried 
a number of armed Malay proas, bearing down upon 
them. Unprovided with weapons they could only leap 
into their boats, and push off with all speed to Pulo 
Leat. The pirates closely pursued them, until two 
boats put out to sea to the assistance of their comrades. 
The Malays then returned to the wreck, and took pos- 
session of it. 

These circumstances instantly aroused the whole 
settlement to action. " The order was given," says 
Mr. M'Leod, *' for every man to arm himself in the best 
manner he could, and it was obeyed with the utmost 
promptitude and alacrity. Eude pike-staves were 
formed by cutting down young trees ; small swords, 
dirks, knives, chisels, and "even large spike-nails sharp- 
ened, were finnly fixed to the ends of these poles, and 
those who could find nothing better hardened the end 
of the wood in the fire, and bringing it to a sharp point, 
formed a tolerable weapon. There were, perhaps, a 
dozen cutlasses ; the marines had about thirty muskets 
and bayonets ; but we could muster no more than 
seventy-fi.ve ball cartridges among the whole party. 



274 PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENCE. 

*' We had fortunately presei-ved some loose powder^ 
drawn from the upper deck guns after the ship had 
struck (for the magazines were under water in five 
minutes), and the marines, by hammering their buttons 
round, and by rolling up pieces of broken bottles in 
cartridges, did their best to supply themselves with a 
sort of shot that would have some effect at close quar- 
ters, and strict orders were given not to throw away a 
single discharge until sure of their aim. 

' ' Mr. Cheffy, the carpenter, and his crew, under the 
direction of the captain, were busied in forming a sort 
of abattis by felling trees, and enclosing in a circular 
shape the ground we occupied ; and by interweaving 
loose branches with the stakes driven in among these, a 
breastwork was constructed, which afforded us some 
cover, and must naturally impede the progress of any 
enemy unsupplied with artillery. 

" Even the boys managed to make fast table-knives 
on the end of sticks for their defence. One of them, 
who had been severely bruised by the falling of the 
masts, and was slung in his hammock betw^een two 
trees, had been observed carefully fixing, with two 
sticks and a rope-yarn, the blade of an old razor. On 
being asked what he meant to do with it, he replied, 
' You know I cannot stand, but if any of these fellows 
come within reach of my hammock, Fll mark them !' " 

The officers and men were divided into companies ; 
sentries were stationed at suitable points, and regularly 
relieved ; the boats hauled up to the landing-place, and 
a guard ajjpointed ; and other defensive measures con- 
certed and adopted. 

An attempt was made, on the 22nd, to enter into a 
peaceable arrangement with the Malays, and at first 
they seemed to respond to the overtures of the English. 
This favourable disposition did not last. Mr. Hay, the 
second-lieutenant, was, therefore, ordered to proceed to 
the ship with three of the boats, and drive off the pirates 
by force. When they saw the boats approach the Alceste 



AN AMUSING INCIDENT. 275 

they quickly abandoned it ; but not before they had set 
fire to the wreck. This act, 'however, proved of advan- 
tage to the English, for the upper works and decks 
burning down to the water's edge, everything buoyant 
floated up, and was easily laid hold of. 

During the night an incident occurred which may 
amuse the reader, though it startled its hero. " A 
sentry sin*prised by the approach of a very suspicious 
looking personage, who was making towards him, levelled 
his musket and fired. In an instant the whole camp 
was alive with excitement, supposing that they were 
attacked by the savages, when, behold, the enemy turned 
out to be a large baboon, one of a race that abounded in 
the island. These creatures became very troublesome : 
they were most audacious thieves, and even carried 
away several ducks which had been saved from the 
wreck; till at last the poor birds were so frightened 
that they left their little enclosure and voluntarily 
sought for safety and protection amongst the people." 

From Sunday morning, the 23rd, till Wednesday, the 
26th, the men were engaged in rescuing what stores 
and provisions they could from the hull of the wreck ; 
and it was with no ordinary pleasure they secured 
between fifty and sixty boarding-pikes, and eighteen 
muskets, all of which would be serviceable against their 
piratical foes. But as provisions began to fail, and no 
succours had yet arrived from Batavia, Captain Maxwell 
ordered the launch to be repaired, and a raft to be con- 
structed, that his people might quit the island before 
reduced to the extremities of famine. 

The Malays now began to make preparations for an 
intended attack. They occupied a small islet, about two 
miles distant, and every day brought them reinforce- 
ments. On Sunday, the 2nd of March, their demon- 
strations were so formidable that Captain Maxwell kept 
all his men under arms, and believing that an attack 
would be made during the night, he addressed them in 
a spirited harangue. *' I do not wish to deceive you," 

s 2 



276 BELIEF AT HAND. 

lie said, ** as to the means of resistance in our power. 
When we were first thrown together on shore we were 
almost defenceless. Seventy-five ball-cartridges only 
could be mustered ; we have now sixteen hundred. 
They cannot, I believe, send up more than five hundred 
men, but, with two hundred such as now stand around 
me, I do not fear a thousand — nay, fifteen hundred of 
them ! I have the fullest confidence that we shall beat 
them. The pikemen standing firm, we can give them 
such a volley of musketry as they will be little pre- 
pared for, and when we find they are thrown into con- 
fusion, we'll sally out among them, chase them into the 
water, and ten to one but we secure their vessels. Let 
every man, therefore, be on the alert with his arms in 
his hands ; and should these barbarians this night 
attempt our hill, I trust we shall convince them that 
they are dealing with Britons ! " To this hearty address 
the crew of the Alceste replied with three enthusiastic 
cheers. 

The night, however, passed in tranquillity; and the 
morning showed the pirates assembled to the number of 
six hundred. In this perilous position the men of the 
Alceste displayed all the best qualities of British seamen, 
and preserved as rigid a discipline as if they were on 
board ship. They were soon rewarded for their heroic 
patience. In the afternoon, an officer who had ascended 
one of the tallest trees, thought he descried a sail at a 
great distance. Closer examination proved that he was 
in the right, and before the day closed the brig Ternate, 
which Lord Amherst had despatched to their relief, 
approached near enough to communicate with the shore. 
The Malays immediately took to flight, but not without 
a farewell volley from the Alceste's people. 

On Friday, the 7th of March, they were all embarked 
on board the Ternate, and on the 9th, they arrived at 
Batavia, where they w^ere most kindly welcomed by 
Lord Amherst, and their comfort sedulously studied. 
They were afterwards sent home to England. Captain 



' CONCLUDING REMARKS. 277 

Maxwell, on tlie route, touclied at St. Helena, and was 
favoured by the Emperor Napoleon with an interview. 
The Emperor reminded him of the capture of the 
Pomone, and said, — " Vous etiez tres mechant. Eh 
bien ! Your government must not blame you for the 
loss of the Alceste, for did you not -capture one of my 
frigates ?" 

Amongst the many narratives which testify to the 
calm cool courage and patient endurance of the British 
sailor, there is not one, we think, which more vividly 
illustrates those qualities than that of the Shipwreck 
of the Alceste, And with no other record could we 
more fitly close a volume devoted to the celebration of 
his daring, enterprise, and heroism. 

From these pages may our youthful readers gather 
not only amusement, but instruction ; and learn to 
imitate while they reverence those manly virtues which a 
Blake and a Nelson, a Collingwood and a Howe dis- 
played ! And, above all, may they take to their hearts 
the great lesson of Duty ; in whatever position and 
tinder whatever circumstances ; remembering the noble 
lines of the poet, — 

*' Not once or twice in our rough island- story, 
The path of duty was the way. to glory : 
He that walks it, only thirsting 
For the right, and learns to deaden 
Love of self, before his journey closes, 
Ho shall find the stubborn thistle bursting 
Into glossy purples, which out-redden 
All voluptuous garden-roses. 
Not once or twice in our fair island-story, 
The path of duty was the way to glory : 
He, that ever following her commands. 
On with toil of heart and knees and hands, 
Thro' the long gorge to the far light has won 
His path upward, and prevailed, 
Shall find the toppling crags of Duty scaled 
Are close u^Don the shining table-lands 
To which our God himself is moon and sun." — Tennyson. 



278 



APPENDIX. 

THE *' WARRIOR," AND IRON-CLAD SHIPS.* 

''It is said that ideas produce revolutions ; and truly tliey do — not 
spiritual ideas only, but even mechanical." — Carlyle. 

In giving a brief notice of the prominent features of the 
several varieties of iron- cased ships, it will be desirable to 
divide them into two classes, Sea-going Ships, and Coast-defence 
Ships, 

Sea-going Ships. — Of these we have built, or are building, 
the following ships : Warrior, Black Prince, Achilles, Defence, 
Resistance, Hector, Valiant, Northumherland, Minotaur, Agin- 
court, Boyal Oah, Boyal Alfred, Ocean, Prince Consort, Cale- 
donia, Zealous, Favourite, Enterprise. 

The Coast-defence Ships are the batteries, Olatton, Trusty, 
Thunder, jEtna, Terror, Erehus, and TJiunderholt ; and the Shield 
ships Boyal Sovereign, and Prince Albert. 

The Warrior (6,039 tons, 1,250 H.P.) is an iron ship of war 
protected by iron armour. In this respect she is like the 
batteries Thunderholt, Terror, and Erebus. 

But while these earlier ships are from their slowness and 
low free-board incapable of warlike operations on the open 
sea, the Warrior is in every respect an efficient man-of-war. 

The main object regarded in her construction was to resist 
the action of sJtiells, which had long been known to be readily 
capable of setting ships on fire, and to be frightfully destruc- 
tive to limb and life when they exploded among the men 
massed on the fighting decks. It was, however, the startling 
illustrations of this fact which had been recently given at 
Sinope and Sebastopol that showed the necessity for a special 
means of resisting these dangerous missiles. 

The mode adopted by the French architects for obtaining 

* We are indebted for this chapter to the kind assistance of Mr. N, 
Ba-naby, Member of the Institute of Naval Architects. 



SHEER OF ** WARRIOR." 



279 



I 



•g 



I s 



bo 06 



^•g 












280 IRON SHIPS. 

this object, was to cover the exposed parts of the ordinary 
wooden ships with iron. But it was considered by Enghsli 
architects that^ notwithstanding the rapid fouhng of iron 
shi])s, and their local weakness of bottom, a great advantage 
might be obtained by the use of iron instead of wood in the 
whole of the ship. Wood is, under all circumstances, very 
perishable, and its liability to decay is likely to increase when 
inclosed within large masses of iron and perforated by nume- 
rous iron bolts. 

In these ships it was particularly desirable to secure a 
considerable amount of durability, as they would be neces- 
sarily very costly. It was considered, further, that the heavy 
masses of iron required for plating the bow and stern would 
make the ship labour in a sea-way, and that by using iron for 
the construction of the hull, the necessity for armour-casing 
at the ends of the ship might be avoided. 

Iron having for these reasons been adopted as the material 
for constructing the hull, all danger of destruction by fire 
from the action of shells was removed. 

It would not have been difficult to make the whole of the 
plating of this hull sufficiently thick to break up common 
shells, without the use of thick armour at all. But iron plates 
of moderate thickness, while they will successfully resist such 
shell, are broken up into innumerable fragments by the blows 
of shot, which fragments fly about the decks, and do much 
mischief. 

In an iron ship of war it is therefore necessary to protect 
with shot-proof plating all those portions of the ship in which 
the crew are engaged during an action. 

The portion of the Warrior which is thus protected is shown 
in fig. 1 (p. 279). It is sufficiently long to enclose a battery 
of 26 guns, with intervals between the guns of 15 feet 
6 inches from centre to centre. It has walls or bulkheads 
across its extremities, formed of 12 inches of timber and 
4-inch iron plates, on a strong frame of iron. These waUs 
extend from the spar deck to 8 feet below the water. The 
sides are strongly framed with ribs and plating, and have 
outside these, 18 inches of sound hard teak, and plates of 
hammered iron 4J inches thick. Each plate is about 15 feet 
long and 3 feet wide, and weighs 4 tons. Each plate is 
fastened by about 30 bolts, two feet long. These bolts are 
formed with a conical head, sunk into the plate, and a screwed 
point, on which there are two nuts set up inside the skin of 



THE ARMOUR OF THE <« WARRIOR." 281 

the ship. This side has been proved to be capable of re- 
sisting both 68-pouuders fired from a 9o-cwt. gun, and 
150-pounders from an Armstrong 100-pounder gun, at 200 
yards range, the ordinary charges of powder (16 lbs.) being 
employed. 

It was found further that, when a loO-lb. shot was fired 
from a 300-pounder gun with a charge of 50 lbs. of powder, 
the side was not perforated until two shots struck in the 
same place. 

For all practical purposes the central battery of the 
Warrior may therefore be said to be impregnable, except at 
the ports. In order that these might be reduced in breadth 
from 3 feet 4 inches to 2 feet, a directing bar has been devised 
by the Ordnance Department which pivots in the port, and ex- 
tends under the gun-carriage. By this means greater readi- 
ness and precision is obtained in training, and the guns can be 
made to lire over an arc of 60° through the 2-feet port. The 
port hds are made of thin iron, and are only musket-proof. 

The accompanying figure (p. 282) shows the depth to which 
the armour extends below the water, in order to make this 
central tower impenetrable by shot. It shows also an inner 
water-tight side for additional security, in the event of the 
ship receiving injury below the armour by the blows of a ram, 
or by any other means. It has been assumed in the construc- 
tion of all these ships, that shot cannot be made to penetrate 
a ship's side more than two or three feet below the surface 
of the water. This is probably the fact, and will continue 
to be so while the depression of the guns is limited to 7°. 
Shot fired at this angle have to pass through 50 feet of water 
in order to reach a depth of 6 feet below the surface. There 
is, however,, nothing to prevent the construction of shigs 
with lower port-siUs, or higher carriages, and an increased 
height* between decks, which shall be able to fire their guns 
at such an angle of depression as wiU penetrate the iron-cased 
ships below their armour. With guns loaded at the muzzle 
there might be some danger of the shot rolling out, but in 
breech-loading guns no such fear can be entertained. 

Fig. 2 also shows an inner bottom in the middle of the 
ship, as a security against serious injury in the event of the 
ship getting aground. This inner or double bottom is 240 
feet long, and terminates at each end at one of the transverse 
watertight bulkheads. 

Fig. 3 (p. 283) is a section of the undefended pai-t of the ship 



282 



SECTIOJ^^ OF *' WARRIOR." 
Fig. 2. — Section of Warrior. 



Vfifief J}ee^ 



Maiit jDeek 



Lonrer Hech 




rr 



yio^ 



^?^ 



-hotl^^' 



1 



N.B.— The depth of the frames and beams is shown by dotted lines, as they only 
occur at intervals. The drawa lines show the actual seclion of the plating ana 
framing in these intervals. 



EXTREME SECTION OF " WARRIOR.'' 
Fig, 3. — Extreme Section of Warrior, 



XT^per JDecTi 



283 



Main Be ek 



Zomer DecH, 



\. 




p-*k^V^^^^sVs»//.%s^W/^ K\s-i;y/.-i...J.^, ...A.., j;;..y r^ 



Wiihf tight Deck /^ 



Section of ^Yarrior before the Battery. 



N.B.— The deptli of the frames and beams is shown by dotted lines, as they only 
occur at intervals. The drawn liueij show the actual .section of the plating and 
framing in these intervals. 



284 THE BUOYANCY OF THE " WAHRIOR." 

in whicKis a watertight iron deck^ 8 feet below the load- water 
line. The portions of the foremost and after holds lying below 
this deck are not required for use, and it is intended that the 
scuttles and the man-holes leading through the deck into 
them should always be closed. Such being the case, it is 
assumed that no shot will be able to penetrate the deck, and 
that the holds below will always remain empty, whatever 
amount of damage is done to the undefended sides lying above 
them. The buoyancy of these lower holds, together with 
that of the impregnable central hull, is sufficient to float 
the ship, though the remainiog upper portions should be 
completely bilged. These upper portions are divided by 
numerous bulkheads into a great many compartments, so 
that it would take a long time to pierce them all. When 
this is done, the loss of buoyancy will be 1000 tons, and the 
ship would after the loss steam at about ten knots, and with 
its ports 6 feet 6 inches out of water. In conjunction with 
this statement, we may record the facts that the Oloire has 
at her best an average speed of only 11*8 knots, and swims 
with her ports within 6 feet of the water. 

The total weight of the Warrior is 8,800 tons, of which 
about 7,000 tons are iron. The armour, of which the greater 
part is hung upon the sides, weighs 1,000 tons. 

The height to which this armour rises above the sea line 
is so great that fear was entertained by eminent naval officers 
that the ship would not be able to stand uiTunder her load. 
It may, therefore, be interesting to show upon what grounds 
her designers rested their confidence in her stableness. 

In fig. 4 (p. 285) the point G marks the position of the 
centre of gravity of the entire ship and lading. In other 
words, it is the point about which the ship would balance in 
any position while the contents of the ship retained their 
places. B is the position of the centre of gravity of the 
mass of water displaced. In other words, it is the point 
about which this body of water would balance in any position 
if it were congealed or made solid. 

If the ship, or rather an exact model of the ship, had to 
be supported in the upright position by a hand placed be- 
neath it, the hand must be placed at A, and must press 
upwards in the direction AM, otherwise the ship would fall 
to one side or the other. And since the ship is supported in 
the upright position by the upward pressure of the fluid, we 
see that this fluid acts as if it were a single force equal to the 



THE STABILITY OF THE "WARRIOR." 

Fig. 4. 
, ^ Inelminif fovee 



285 




Diagram to show the stability of the VTarrior. 

weight of the ship appHed at A, and pressing upwards in the 
direction AM. Thus, as the ship weighs 8,800 tons, she 
sinks into the fluid until she fills the space previously occu- 
pied by exactly 8,800 tons of water, and she then receives 
that amount of support from the surrounding fluid which she 
requires. There is, then, 8,800 tons of weight puUing the 
ship downwards, and 8,800 tons of fluid resistance pushing 
her upwards : the consequence is that she neither rises nor 
falls, but floats at rest. 

Now suppose the ship or model to be pushed over, im- 
mersing the right side, and raising the left side out of the 
water until the hue of immersion is changed to that 
marked inclined line. Since the weight of the ship is un- 
altered, the size of the hole which she makes in the water 
must be the same as before, but its shape and position have 
undergone a change. 

"While the ship was upright there was the same amount of 
displaced fluid on both sides of the line A M, but now there 
is more on the right than on the left side of this Hne. There 



286 THE STABILITY OF THE "WARRIOR." 

is, therefore, an increase in tlie amount of fluid pressure on 
the right side, and a decrease in that upon the left ; so that if 
the model were without weight, and it were required to keep 
it immersed at the inclined line by the pressure of a hand 
downwards, that hand must be placed somewhere to the right 
of the position which it would have occupied for this purpose 
had the vessel been upright, and it would press down per- 
IDendicularly to the inclined line. Supposing the exact posi- 
tion of the hand to be at the point a, we should conclude that 
the fluid forces which support the ship were all pushingi 
upwards as though they were collected in the line 6M. 
Having remarked this from the evidence of our senses in 
attempting to keep the model immersed by the hand, in the 
inclined position, we should notice further, that if the model 
had to be supjoorted by the hand in the inclined position, the 
hand must be placed at the point W, and must press upwards 
in the direction of the line W G, because G is the centre of 
gravity, and it is only about this point that it will balance. 
From this we should reach our second conclusion, that all the 
weights in the ship are pushing downwards, as though they 
were collected in the line GW. But if all the supporting 
forces act as though they were collected in the line b M, and 
all the weights as though they were collected in G W, they 
will, by their joint pushing and pulling, bring the vessel into 
the upright position again. It is, in fact, only by the appli- 
cation of some other forces, such as the pressure of the wind 
on the sails, or the blow of a wave, that such a vessel can be 
made to incline. As soon as she is forced out of her upright 
position her very weight drags her back again. 

To avoid a somewhat difficult proof, the position • of the 
point a was assumed. Its real position is, however, to be 
found by discovering the point Z>, which is the centre of 
gravity of the irregular mass of fluid displaced by the ship in 
her inclined position, and drawing the line h M vertically up- 
wards. The point M, where this line cuts the middle line of 
the ship, is for all ordinary angles of roUing practically coin- 
cident with what is called the meta-centre. If the weights in 
the ship were so disposed that their centre of gravity G were 
situated at M, then the upward and downward forces would 
be acting in the same line, and there would be no tendency to 
pull the ship upright; in other words, there would be no 
stability. And if the point G were above M, then, although 
the upward and downward forces acted in difl'erent hncs, 



EXTREME SECTION OP *' ACHILLES.'* 
Fig. 5. — Extreme Section of Achilles, 



lihcT Deck 



287 




Section of AcJiiHes before the Battery. 

N.B. — The deptb of the frames and beams is shown by dotted lines, as they only 
occur at intervals. The drawn lines show the actual section of the plating and 
framing in these intervals. 



288 THE "ACHILLES." 

they would so act as to pull her still further from the upright 
position until she was keel upwards. The stableness of the 
ship is therefore measured by the height of the point M 
above G. In order to keep G low, the weights must be kept 
down ; and in order to make M high, the rate at which the 
point B or h (called the centre of buoyancy) moves towards 
the inchned side must be great. This may be done by 
increasing the breadth, or diminishing the depth of the ship. 
Thus, although the tendency of the armour is to raise the 
centre of gravity, and make the ship crank, the breadth and 
form of the ship may be such as will entirely counteract such 
tendency. 

One effect of the armour, hung as it is at a great distance 
from the«middle of the ship, is to make her roll more slowly 
and deeply than she otherwise would. She would also take 
a longer time to come to rest than ordinary ships^, when 
rolling once commenced. To obviate this, bilge-pieces, a a, 
are fitted on the bottom as shown in fig. 2. Their object is 
simply to increase the friction of the bottom as it rolls 
through the water, and thus to aid in bringing the vessel to 
rest. The preceding considerations show us that crankness 
can in no way be remedied by their use. Stability must be 
obtained by other means, but they offer a most effectual 
check to deep and long-continued rolling. 

Black Prince and Achilles (6,039 tons, 1,250 H.P.).--A11 that 
has been said of the Warrior applies equally to the Black 
Prince, and most of it to the Achilles also. 

The Achilles will however differ from her sister ships in the 
following respects. She is protected by shot-proof armour, 
not only in the battery portion, but also in the region of the 
water line, throughout the entire length of the ship. There 
is thus a continuous belt of 4J-inch armour on 18 inches of 
timber extending 8 feet above the water line, and 5 feet 
below it, as shown in the preceding sketch, fig. 5 (p. 287). 

The Achilles differs from her sister vessels also in having 
four masts, and in an altered form of head and stern. The 
knee and head are removed, in order to free the ship from 
what is considered to be a mere useless encumbrance, both 
when encountering a head sea, and when operating as a ram. 
The stern is so altered as to afford protection to the head of 
the rudder and stern-post, both of which are exposed in the 
other ships. They are, however, so massive in those ships as 
to promise sufficient resistance to the blows of shot. 



THE " JVIIXOTAUR," AXD SISTER VESSELS. 289 

The belt of iron employed in this ship, in conjunction with 
iron plating on the deck, is expected to render her hull 
secure against the admission of water through shot holes, so 
that she may go into action without fearing any loss of 
buoyancy or speed. 

Minotaur, Agincourt, and Northumherlcmd (6,621 tons, 
1,350 H.P.). — These ships were designed with the view of 
escaping the objections which were brought by many men of 
position against such partial protection as that of the 
Warrior, They contended that the exposed portions of 
the Warrior would become such a wreck under fire, as to 
make the ship unmanageable ; and they considered that thq 
loss of sea-worthiness which would result from loading the 
ends of the ship with armour was a less disadvantage than 
that which might be apprehended from the absence of such 
armour. 

The truth probably lies somewhere between the two posi- 
' tions. It is a great misfortune to have a large portion of the 
hull capable of being waterlogged, and perhaps a still greater 
misfortune to have the steering gear exposed to fire. But, on 
the other hand, the. complete plating requires the ship to be 
increased in size and cost, and it is feared will prove most 
injurious to its sea-going qualities. 

The ships of this latter class are 20 feet longer than the 
Warrior y 18 inches broader, and have 600 tons more burden. 
They possess a considerable advantage in the fact, that while 
the Warrior has only 26 out of her 40 guns under the protec- 
tion of the armour, they have 40 guns protected. The 
armour in these ships is omitted from a portion of the fore- 
end of the top side of the ship, and an athwartship shot- 
proof bulkhead is erected on the forecastle. 

Besistance and Defence (3,668 tons, 600 H.P.). — These ships 
were designed for coast-defence purposes, but there is nothing 
to prevent their forming part of the line-of-battle in any part 
of the world. 

In comparison with the other ships they are somewhat un- 
dermasted, and have a limited supply of coal, but they will 
perform useful service whenever they are brought into action. 

It is to these ships, rather than to the heavier and less 
manageable frigates, that we must look for active and useful 
service as rams. They are formed in such a manner as to 
give them extraordinary strength in the stem and bow. It is 
to be regretted that their bowsprits are not fitted with a view 

T 



290 IBON RAMS. 

to such services ; but there can be little doubt that this 
would speedily be done if a war were to break out. 

That the use of the ram will become general, in future naval 
warfare, is certain. 

In a paper read before the Institution of Kaval Architects 
by the writer of this chapter, in March, 1860, he said : " We 
have seen that one of the ancient modes of fighting was by 
the use of rams, for piercing the sides of opposing vessels* 
This mode continued in constant use so long as vessels of war 
were propelled by oars, i. e., so long as the attacking vessels 
were perfectly under command for rapid advance in any 
direction, or for retreat at pleasure. Sailing vessels are not 
under command in this way, and therefore such a mode of 
fighting has been, for the last 500 years, impracticable* 
But steam has again given us this control over our ships, and 
the opinion is growing that we shall revert to this most 
ancient mode of warfare. Whether it would be prudent, or 
even practicable, to use line-of-battle ships as rams is very 
doubtful ; but that a class of vessels for coast defence ought 
to be, and yet will be, constructed on this principle, I hold to 
be certain." " And so long as it is possible for a small vessel, 
at a moderate speed, to penetrate the sides of the strongest 
ship below the water, as it certainly is, so long will it be im- 
prudent to build large ships of war." Two years after this 
paper was read, the Merrimac furnished a startling illustration 
of its truth. 

Since it was written the Northumberland class has been 
designed, but the writer has seen no reason to change hi^ 
opinions, stated at length in the paper referred to, with regard 
to the imprudence of building large ships of war. 

The Defence and Resistance are armour-plated in the samd 
partial manner as the Warrior, but a somewhat smaller pro- 
portion of the hull is defended. 

The number of protected guns in these ships is only 14. 

In the Hector and Valiant (4,063 tons, 800 H.P.), the plating 
extends throughout the whole length of the ship at the height 
of the battery. It is also nearly complete below the battery. 
There are a few feet left undefended at each end, and the 
defended part is completed by armour-plated transverse 
bulkheads, extending from the under side of the battery to a 
sufficient distance below the water. These ships are, there- 
fore, much less exposed to damage under fire than the Defence 
and Bcsistance, They are so constructed as to be able to 



WOODEiJ SHIPS, mON-CASED. 291 

serve the purpose of rams in case of need, and their bow- 
sprits are made to turn up, about a pivot at the inner end. 
But their chief advantage as compared with the Defence and 
Besistance Hes in the increase of speed. The average speed 
of the latter ships will not exceed llj knots, but these may 
be expected to reach 12| knots. They possess a further 
advantage in having 30 guns protected, or more than twice 
the number of the other ships ; and they have one-fourth 
more men in the crew. 

Prince Consort^ Caledonia^ and Ocean (4,045 tons, 1,000 
H.P.) ; Boyal Oak and Boyal Alfred (4,045 tons, 800 H.P.).— 
Of these ships, it is only necessary to say that they are 
ordinary line-of-battle ships, with one deck taken off. They 
are plated from end to end with iron 4J inches thick, and 
have 32 guns on their main deck. They will be much more 
formidable than they would have been as line-of-battle ships, 
although greatly inferior to ships of the Warrior class. 

Of all the ships we have mentioned, the smallest are the 
Besistance and Defence, the tonnage of which is 3,668, or 
nearly twice that of Nelson's flag-ship at Trafalgar. Such 
large ships are so costly that it becomes important to inquire 
whether it is not possible to construct smaller vessels, pos- 
sessing the necessary qualities of an iron-cased ship. If the 
plating is to extend over the whole of the ex^Dosed surface of 
the ship, and to some 4 or 5 feet under water, then small 
ships are altogether out of the question. They are almost 
equally so if the Warrior system is adhered to. Mr. Keed 
therefore proposes to abandon the idea of protecting a 
central portion large enough to support the undefended ends 
after they are bilged, and to adopt instead the belt at the 
water line, as already shown in the Achilles, The central 
battery may then be made as short as we please, and the 
same measure of invulnerability may be obtained in a small 
vessel as in a large one. With this mode of plating, it also 
becomes possible, by reducing the number of guns, to use 
iron armour of any desired thickness without greatly increas- 
ing the size of the ship. 

Enterprise, — In this ship the principle has been applied 
with such success that, with a burden of only 990 tons, we 
have an iron-cased sea-going ship. The great object sought 
by Mr. Eeed in this ship was the reduction of dimensions, 
for which purpose every possible device has been adopted for 
lightening the hull without weakening the ship. 

T 2 



292 THE ^* enterprise/' and ^'PRIl^dE AiBEM.*' 



o 



— 



<^ 



•^ c$ 



^ ^ 



I' 



THE ** ENTERPRISE," AND THE «* FAVOURITE.'' 293 

This vessel will carry four of the heaviest guns, and will 
be propelled bv engines of 160 H.P., at a speed of 9J knots 
per hour. 

The transverse walls of the central tower are pierced on 
each side the ship, to allow the guns to fire ahead or 
astern, a portion of the light topside turning down for the 
purpose. The guns may be fired within 10"^ of the fore-and- 
aft line. The walls are also pierced for musketry for sweep- 
ing both the decks. 

The upper portions of this ship are of iron, in order that 
they may be hght and incombustible : when the ship is in action 
these portions of the ship will not be occupied. That por- 
tion of the ship's company which is not actually employed 
at the guns, is accommodated below the deck that is situated 
at the height of the top of the belt, which deck is bomb- 
proof. The whole of the ship below the bomb-proof deck is 
in communication with the battery, so that the men may 
readily be collected for boarding or for repelling boarders. 

Favourite (8 guns, 400 H.P.) — The same arrangement of 
armour is being apphed in the conversion of the corvettes of 
the Favourite class into iron-cased ships. But in them, the 
deck which is made shell-proof is 7 or 8 feet above the water, 
and the belt is considerably wider. 

It will be observed that there is a very 'great reduction 
in the number of guns carried, as compared with uncased 
ships of similar classes. Instead of the 17 guns of the sloop 
we have only 4 guns, and instead of the 22 guns of the 
corvette only 8 guns. 

This is a starthng reduction in the nominal power of the 
ship, but the increase in the weight of the projectiles thrown 
goes far towards a complete compensation. And there can 
be no doubt that the weight and power of naval ordnance 
will continue to increase until, perhaps, being able to strike 
with the ship as easily as with the gun, and more efifectually, 
we may dispense with guns in sea fights. 

Coast-defence Ships. — The first iron-cased ships which 
were built in England were those known as the floating 
batteries. There are seven of them, four built of wood, and 
three of iron. Of the wooden ships three are of the Trusty 
class, viz., Trusty, Thunder, and GUdton, 14 guns. Their 
tonnage is 1,469 tons ; and the power of the engines 150 nomi- 
nal H.P., with which they obtain a speed of 4i knots per hour. 
They swim when loaded, at a draught of 8 feet 8 inches, and 



294: FLOATING BATTERIES. 

with their ports 3 feet 2 inches out of the water. The 
average thickness of timber in the ribs and planking at the 
strongest part of the side is 18 inches, and the average 
thickness of the armour is 4 inches. The fourth wooden 
battery is the jEtna, 16 guns. Her tonnage is 1,588, and the 
nominal H.P. of her engines 200. The load draught of water 
is 8 feet 6 inches, and the height of port 4 feet 3 inches. 

Those which are built of iron are the Erehus, Terror, and 
Thunderbolt, 16 guns. Their tonnage is 1,954, and H.P. of 
engines 200. Their mean draught of water is 8 feet 9 inches, 
and height of port 3 feet 10 inches. They are formed with 
ribs of iron 6 inches deep, on which is placed the armour and 
backing. 

The Shield Bhips. — The revolving shield or cupola of Captain 
Coles is an engineering device of considerable merit ; but its 
use in naval warfare seems likely to be limited to vessels in- 
tended solely for coast defence. 

The invention consists^ really, in a novel description of gun- 
carriage, the merits of which are facility of training, and pro- 
tection of the guns and gunners from the fire of shot and 
shell. These are advantages which we should suppose to bo 
valuable in a fixed fortress ; but when applied to a ship they 
are greatly reduced in value. 

First, with regard to facility of training, it is found that 
by the use of this invention two lOO-pounder guns may be 
worked by half a dozen men. But of what value is this 
economy of labour in a ship which must have a large crew to 
navigate her and defend her against boarding? Thus, the 
Boyal Sovereign was a three-decked line-of-battle ship, of 
3,765 tons, with a complement of 1,100 men. Instead of her 
former armament of 131 guns, she will probably have 8 guns 
in four shields. Assuming that six men are sufficient for 
working each shield, there will be twenty-four men employed 
at the guns. But she will need a crew of at least 200 men, 
so that only one-eighth of her men will be engaged. This is 
not of course a disadvantage ; but it is so small an advantage 
as to set off very badly against the serious difficulties intro- 
duced by the shields. 

Secondly, with regard to the protection which the shields 
afford to the gunners, it is only necessary to observe that just 
as much armour is required on the sides of the ship for her 
protection, in addition to that on the shields, as would be 
needed if the shields were not used. And while the two 



CUPOLA-SHIPS, 295 

prime advantages of the invention are thus deprived of much 
of their value when apphed to ships, it appears also that the 
introduction of shields must necessarily deprive a ship of sea- 
going qualities. 

There are s^ral reasons why this must be so. First, the 
shield-guns must fire over the highest deck, and all the per- 
manent part of the hull of the ship must lie below the line of 
fire. If in order to get a good free-board this deck is raised 
more than six or seven feet out of the water, gun-boats might 
lie under cover of her sides with impunity while a breach was 
made in the armour, or while measures were taken for cap- 
turing her. It may be said that ordinary ships of war are 
subject to the same mode of attack ; but it must be remem- 
bered that these shield-ships have no top-side, under cover 
of which their own men may assemble, and no tops from 
which the men may be picked off at the guns of the attack- 
ing vessels. Any gun-vessels which should dare to take 
up a position by the side of the Warrior would be liable to 
instant capture, and it cannot be conceived possible that 
their crews would be able to work the guns under, the fire of 
musketry which would be directed against them. 

As the shield ships are helpless in these respects, it is indis- 
pensable to keep the free-board low. The Royal Sovereign, 
for example, is only six feet out of the water, and is on that 
account quite unfit for sea-going purposes. 

Again, vessels fitted with shields, must either be without 
masts, or having masts, must dispense with shrouds to them. 
With the ordinary masts and rigging, the angle of training of 
the shield-guns would be as limited as that of guns fired 
through common broadside ports. Captain Coles proposes to 
fit tripod masts, which shall not need the support of shrouds 
and stays. It is not impossible that he may by some such 
means be able to introduce a light rig into shield-ships ; but 
it must always be of such a character as will tend still further 
to render the use of shields in sea- going ships undesirable. 

In the Prince Albert (2,529 tons, 500 H.P.), fig. 7 (P- 292), 
the armour and backing extend throughout the entire length 
of the sides. The upper deck is perfectly straight and level 
amidships, but slopes down at the sides to form a glacis, to 
allow the guns to fire with a depression of G^. The men and 
officers are berthed on the lower deck, between and beyond 
the shields. 

In this ship the water-tight bulkheads are obliged to stop 



296 CONCLUSION. 

at the lower deck. This being the case, if one compartment 
became filled with water, the water would flow over into tho 
adjoining compartments. In order to give greater security 
to the compartments, the ship is fitted throughout the greater 
portion of her length with a complete inner j|ottom and side. 

We have thus described the prominent features of all the 
iron-cased ships now in existence, and in course of con- 
struction. 

Of such ships the fleet of the future will be composed. 



2'J7 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF ACTIONS AT SEA, 
FOUGHT BY BEITISH FLEETS. 



June 24, 1340. 
Off Shitjs.— The English fleet, under Edward HI., the Earls of 
Derby, Northampton, and Anindel, defeat a superior French force, 
manned by NoiTQans, Picards, and Genoese. Tlie French loss is 
c:.timated at between 25,000 and 30,000, and the English at 4,000, 
killed and wounded. 

August 29, 1360. 
Off Wiiiclielsea. — Between the English, under Edward III., and 

* Spaniards, who were completely beaten, and lost 26 large ships. 

J'wne22, 1372. 
Off Rochelle. — Between the English, under the Earl of Pembroke, 
and a very superior force of Spaniards. Almost all the English 
iihips were taken or destroyed. 

March 24, 1387. 
In the Channel. — A large Flemish fleet totally defeated by the Earl 
of Arundel's squadi'on. 80 sail were taken. 

August 15, 1416. 
Off' Harfleur. — The English fleet, under John Plantagenet, Duke of 
Bedford, and Sir Walter Hungerford, defeat a large number of 
Genoese carracks, hired by the French. The English lose 100, 
and the French 1 ,500. 

August 10, 1512. 
Off' Brest. — A desiDerale engagement, but with no decisive results, 
between the English and French fleets : — the first action in which 
great guns were extensively used. 

1513. 

Off Brest.— Bets^een. the English and French. Sir Edward Howard, 
iu rashly boarding a large French galley, was slain. 

July 18 and 19, 1545. 
Off Portsmouth. — Indecisive engagement between an immense French 

* armada, under D' Aunebanlt, and the English fleet, under Lord 
Lisle. (See Chapter II. — The Story of the ** Mary Rose.") 



298 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLK. 

July 19 to July 28, 1588. 
In the Channel and Straits of Dover, — Defeat of the Spanish (mis- 
named the Invincible) Armada by the English under Lord Howard 
of Effingham, Sir Francis Drake, Sir John Hawkins, Kaleigh, 
Frobisher, and others. 

June 20, 1596. 
Cadiz. — Capture of Cadiz, and destruction of the Spanish fleet, by an 
expedition under the Earl of Nottingham, Earl of Essex, Raleigh, 
and others. 

May 18, 1652. 
In Dover Boads, — Between the Dutch, under Van Tromp, and the 
English, under Blake. The Dutch lost two ships. 

July 4, 1652. 
On the French Coast. — Sir George Ayscue defeats a French fleet of 
40 sail, and captures or destroys 30. 

August 16, 1652. 
Off Plymouth. — Sir George Ayscue, with 38 ships, defeats De Ruyter, 
at the head of a Dutch fleet of equal force. Two Dutch ships were 
sunk. 

September 28, 1652. 

Off the Goodwin Sands. -^Blsike and Penn defeat the Dutch, under 

Admirals De Witt and De Euyter. They capture several ships. 

November 29, 1652. 
Off the Ness. — A Dutch fleet, of 95 sail, under Van Tromp, attacks 
Blake, who has only 40 ships under his command. Two English 
ships were taken, after a desperate resistance, and Van Tromp 
cruises with a broom at his mast-head, to intimate that he would 
sweep all English shipping off the narrow seas. 

February 18, 19, and 20, 1653. 

In the Channel. — Three days' engagement between the English 
(70 ships), under Admirals Blake, Monk, and Deane, and the 
Dutch (73 ships), under Tromp, De Ruyter, and Evertzen. The 
Dutch lose 11 ships of war, 1,500 killed, and 700 prisoners, 

June 2 and 3, 1653. 
Off the Gable.— The English (105 ships) under Monk and Deane, 
afterwards joined by Blake, attack a Dutch fleet of equal force, 
under Tromp, De Witt, and De Ruyter. 20 Dutch ships were 
taken or destroyed. 

August 7, 1654. 
Off the Texel.—BeUYeen. Van Tromp (who was killed in the action) 
and Admirals Monk, Penn, Jordan, and others. The two fleets 
were about equal in force. The Dutch lost 26 men-of-war, 2,700 



ACTIONS AT SEA. 299 

men killed, 2,500 wounded, and 1,000 prisoners. The English 
lost three ships, and 1,300 killed and wounded. The Dutch now 
sued for peace. 

1655. 

Bomhardment of Tunis^ by the English fleet, imder Blake. 
April 20, 1657. 

Bomhardment of Santa Cruz, and destruction of six Spanish galleons, 
by the English fleet under Blake. 

June 1, 2, and 3, 1665. 

Solehay. — Between the English fleet, under the Duke of York, Sir 
William Perm, Sir John Lawson, and Sir George Ayscue (110 
ships), and the Dutch (120), under Opdam, the two Evertzens, and 
Cornelius Tromp. After an animated action, the Dutch fled, and 
were piu*sued nearly to their own coast. They lost 24 ships taken, 
burnt, and sunk; and between 6,000 and 7,000 killed, wounded, 
and prisoners. The English lost 250 killed and 340 wounded. ^ 

June 1 to 4, 1668. 
Off the Goodwin. — The Dutch, under De Euyter, Evertzen, and 
Cornelius Tromp ; the English, under Monk, Duke of Albemarle, 
and Prince Rupert. Owing to the ill-feeling which existed 
between the English commanders, the Dutch, after four days* 
severe fighting, obtained a slight advantage. The English lost 
600 killed, 1,100 wounded, and 2,000 prisoners. 

Jicly 25, 1666. 
Off the North Foreland, — The two fleets, under the same admirals, 
again met in battle, the superiority of force being with the Dutch, 
who, however, were totally defeated, mth a loss of 20 ships and 
4,000 men killed and drowned. 

Maij 10, 1667. 

Off St. Christopher' St West Indies. — Su* John Harman, with 12 
frigates, defeats the Dutch and French squadi'ons of 22 ships, 
destroying several. 

May 3, 1672. 

In Solehay. — The French and English fleets, of nearly 140 sail, 
under the Duke of York and the Comte d'Estrees, are attacked by 
a Duteh fleet of 75 heavy ships and 40 frigates, under De Ruyter, 
Bancquert, and Van Ghent. The French leaving the English to 
bear the whole brunt of the action it ended indecisively, but the 
Boyal James, a 100-gim ship, exploded, and the gaUant Earl of 
Sandwich perished on board. 

May 28, 1673. 
In the Channel, — Between the English, under Prince Eupert and 



300 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

Sir Edward Spragge, and the Dutch, under Tromp, who were com- 
pelled to retreat. Another action, with a similar result, occurred 
on June 4. 

August 11, 1673. 
Off the Coast of Holland. — Between the English and French TOO 
ships) and the Dutch (100), under De Kuyter and Banequert. The 
French, at the first onset, sailed away, and the English slowly 
retired to their own shores. 

May 1, 1689. 
Bantry Bay. — Between the English (19 sail of the line), under 
Admiral Herbert, and the French (28) under Admii'al Chateau 
Renaud, — ending in a drawn battle. 

June 30, 1690. 

Off Beachy Head. — Between the English and Dutch (56 sail), under 
the Earl Tof Torrington, and the French (78 sail) under the 
Com.te de Tourville. Neither combatant won much glory in this 
action. 

May 19 to 23, 1692. 

Off Cape La Hogue. — Admiral Russel's fleet consisted of 99 ships, 
English arid Dutch, with 6,998 guns ; the French, under De 
Tourville, of 105 ships, with about 5,300 guns. The French were 
totally defeated, and lost 16 ships. 

June 17, 1693. 

In Lagos Bay. — Sir George Rooke, with 23 sail of the line, and a 
large convoy, is attacked by a French fleet of 71 sail of the line, 
but saves a part of his convoy with the loss of only three men-of- 
war. 

August 20 to 24, 1702. 

Off Santa Martha, — Vice-Admiral Benbow, with seven ships, the 
largest a 70, falls in with the French (10) under Rear- Admiral 
Du Casse. Four of the British ships made no efibrt to join in the 
action, but Benbow compelled the French to retreat. He died of 
his wounds and of chagrin, at Jamaica, on the 4th of November. 
Two of his captains were afterwards shot. 

October 12, 1702. 
At Vigo. — The English and Dutch, under Sir George Rooke and 
Vice-Admiral Hopson (25 men-of-war), break into Vigo Harbour, 
and cajoture and destroy 17 French ships, "^caiTying 960 guns, under 
the fire of the land batteries. Three Spanish men-of-war, and 
15 galleons, were also taken or burnt. 

August 13, 1704. 
0/ ilfaZa^a.— Between the English and Dutch, under . Sir George 



ACTIONS AT SEA. oOl 

llooko (59 ships, 3,700 guns, 23,200 men), and the Frcncl!, under 
tlie Comte Thoulouse (58 ships, 3,G89 guns, 25,181 men). The 
French compelled to retire, with a loss of 3,239 killed and wounded. 
The English lose about 2,719. 

May 28, 1708. 
Near Carfliagena (America). — Commodore "Wager, with three GO-giin 
ships, chases 17 Spanish galleons and sloops, destroys the admiral's 
ship, and captures the rear-admiral's. 

July 31, 1718. 
Off Cape Passaro. — The English (21 ships, carrying 1,390 guns, and 
8,885 men), under Sir George Byng, attack the Spanish (29 sail, 
with about 900 guns, and 8,830 men) ; but eight sliips, under 
Captain Walton, were despatched to pursue eight Spanish, who 
attempted to get inshore. Altogether the Spanish lost 10 ships 
taken, and three destroyed. 

November 21, 1739. 

Capture'' of Porto Bella, and destruction of Spanish shipping, by a 
squach-on of three 70's, two 60's, and one 50, under Yice-Admiral 
Vernon. 

February 11, 1744. 

Off Toulon. — Between the English (27 ships of the line, nine of 50, 
and 12 of 40 guns and less, of w^hich six 50's, two 40's, and the 
smaller vessels were not included in the line-of-battle}, under 
Admiral Matthews and Vice-Admiral Lestock, and the Franco- 
Spanish fleet (Z8 sail of the line, including a 114-gun ship), under 
Admiral Navarro and M. de Court. One Spanish ship was cap- 
tured. For this disgi'aceful action Admiral Matthews was 
cashiered. 

May 3, 1747. 

Off Cape Finisterre. — Vice-Admiral Anson's fleet (15 sail), attacked 
the French (38 sail), under M. de la Jonquicre, and gained a 
complete victory, capturuig six men-of-war, and four armed 
(French) East Indiamen. 

October 14, 1747. 

Off Cape Finisterre. — A squadron (one 61, one 70, three (>4's, seven 

60's, and two 50's), under Rear-Admiral Hawke, attack the 

French (one 80, three 74's, one 70, three G4's, two 56's, and 

numerous frigates), under M. de Letendeur, and capture six ships. 

October 1, 1748. 
Near the Havannah. — Between Rear-Admiral Knowles's squadron 
(seven sliips, 926 guns) and a Sj^anish squadron of superior force. 
The Spanish were defeateil, and lost one ship, but the action 
excited much discontent in England. 



302 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

May 20, 1756. 

Off Minorca,' — Between Admiral Byng's fleet (15 sail, 892 guns) and 
the French (17 sail, 956 guns, of heavier calibre than the English), 
under M. de Galisonniere. The action ended indecisively, through 
Byng's want of resolution, and the unfortunate admiral was after- 
wards shot in Portsmouth Harbour, on board the Monarch (March 
14th, 1757). 

April 29, 1758. 

Off Negapatam. — Indecisive action between Vice- Admiral Pocock's 
squadron (seven sail, 404 guns) and the French (seven sail, 380 
guns), under the Comte d'Ache. 

August 18 and 19, 1759. 
Off the JBarhary Shore. — Between Admiral Boscawen's fleet (15 sail 
of the line) and M. de la Clue's (seven sail — eight having parted 
company). Only eight British ships, however, got up with the 
enemy, who lost three ships taken, and two destroyed, 

Septemher 10, 1759. 
Off Ceylon, and the East Indian Coast. — Between Vice-Admiral 
Pocock (10 sail, 536 guns) and the Comte d'Ache (11 sail, two 
frigates, 800 guns). Neither party gained an advantage. 

Novemher 20, 1759. 
Off Belle-Isle. — Between Admii-a! Sir Edward Hawke (27 line-of- 
battle ships, and six frigate<s, carrying about 1,980 guns), and 
M. de Conflans (20 line-of-battle ships and five frigates, carrying 
1,550 guns — but of much heavier calibre than the Enghsh), The 
French defeated with the loss of five ships. 

July 27, 1778. 
Off Brest. — Between Admirals Keppel and Palliser's fleet (30 men- 
' of- war and 6 frigates) and the fleet of the Comte d'Orvillier's 
(31 men-of-war and 8 frigates). The action had no result, and 
caused a bitter feeling of discontent at home. 

July 6, 1779. 
Off Grenada. — Between Vice-Admiral Byron (one 90, eleven 74 's, 
one 70, seven 64's, and a 60) and the Comte d'Estaing (two 80's, 
twelve 74's, eight 64's, three 50 s, and 10 frigates). The French 
escaped, but lost 1,200 killed and 1,800 wounded, against 183 
killed and 346 wounded, on the side of the British, 

January 16, 1780. 
Off Cape St. Vincent. — Between Admiral Rodney's fleet (21 sail of 
the line and 9 frigates — of which only nine sail were engaged) 
and 14 Spanish sail of the line, under Don Langara. Six Spanish 
ships (one 80, and five 70's) were taken, and one blew up. 



ACTIONS AT BVIA. 303 

April 17, 1780. 
Off Martinique. — Between Admiral Kodney (two 90's, eleven 74's, 
one 70, five 64 's, one 60, and six frigates) and the Comte 
de Guichen (two 80 's, eleven 74's, ten 64's, and six frigates and 
corvettes), but owing to a misunderstanding on the part of Eear- 
Admiral Hyde Parker and others, only a partial engagement took 
place. 

April 29, 1781. 
Off Martinique. — Between Rear- Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and the 
^ Comte de Grasse. Tlie French had a large superiority of force, 
but would not come to close quarters. Tlie British lost 36 lolled 
and 161 wounded ; the French, 119 killed and 150 wounded. 

August 5, 1781. 

Off the Dogger Bank. — Between Vice- Admiral Hyde Parker's fleet 

^ (seven men-of-war, with 446 guns, and five frigates) and the 

. Dutch (seven men-of-war, with 364 guns, and six frigates), under 

Rear- Admiral Zoutman. The Dutch lost one ship (which sunk), 

and, besides her crew, 142 killed and 403 wounded ; the English, 

109 killed and 362 wounded. 

September 5, 1781. 
In Lynn Haven Bay, N. America. — Between Rear- Admiral Graves 
(19 line-of-battle ships, and six frigates, carrying 1,408 guns, and 
11,311 men) and the Comte de Grasse (24 sail of the line, and 
— frigates, carrying 1,822 guns, and 18,100 men). The action 
was indecisive. 

January 26, 1782. 
At St Christopher'' s. — The French (31 sail) under Comte de Grasse 
made three furious but ineffectual attacks on Rear-Admiral Sir 
S. Hood's fleet (22 sail), lying in the anchorage of Basse-Terre. 

February 17, April 12, July 5, September 3, 1782. 

Off the Madras Coast. — Four actions between the English (nine sail, 
394 guns), under Vice- Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, and the 

, French (11 sail, and three 40-gun frigates, in all — 848 guns). The 
first ended indecisively. The English were then reinforced by a 
74 and a 64, and the French by another man-of-war. The second 
and third actions were in favour of the British. Before the fourth 
action, the English had been augmented to 12 sail of the line 
and 4 frigates ; the French had 15 sail of the line. The latter 
were beaten, but no ships were captured. 

April 12, 1782. 
Off Martinique. — Between Admiral Rodney (2,640 guns) and the 
Comte de Grasse (2,560 guns, but of heavy calibre), ending in the 
total defeat of the French, with the capture of five ships and one 



304: CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

sunk. The French lost about 8,000 killed and 5,000 wounded ; 
the British, 237 killed and 776 Yv^ounded. In this action the 
manoeuvre of "breaking the line "was first definitely performed. 
June 20, 1783. 
Off Pondicherry, — Another indecisive engagement between Admiral 
Sir Edward Hughes (18 sail, and 12 frigates) and M. de Suffrein. 
The English crews were much weakened by scurvy, and not 
above two-thirds effective. 

3Iay 28, 29, 30, 31, and June 1, 1794. 
1,1 the Bay of Biscay (lat. 47° 34' N., long. 13° 39' W.)— A series of 
partial actions terminating in the glorious victory of the 1st of 
June, and the capture of six French line-of-battle ships. Earl 
Howe had 26 sail of the line and 7 frigates ; the French, the 
same number, but were superior in guns and men. 

March 13 and 14, 1795. 

Off the Coast of Genoa. — Between Admiral Hotham's fleet (14 sail 
of tlie line, and 5 frigates) and the French (15 sail of the line, 
and 6 frigates), under Kear-Admiral Martin. A French 80 and 
74 were captured. 

June 16, 1795. ' 

In iiiC Bay of Biscay. — Vice-Admiral Cornwallis, with five sail of 
tlie line, a 100, and four 74's, two frigates (38 and 32 guns) and 
an 18 -gun brig, falls in with the fleet of M. Yillarct-Joyeuse (one 
120, eleven 74's, and 11 frigates), and, after a partial engagement, 
ably effected his escape, without losing a ship, and only 12 men 
wounded. 

June 22, 1795. 

Off Belle-Isle. — Between Lord Bridport (14 line-of-battle ships 
actually engaged, and 9 frigates) and the fleet of M. Villaret- 
Joyeuse. Three French ships captured, when Lord Bridport dis- 
continued the action. 

July 13, 1795. 
Off the Hyeres. — A " miserable action " between Admiral Hotham 
(23 sail of the line) and the French (17 sail of the line), result- 
ing in the capture of one of the latter. 

February 14, 1797. 
Off Cape St. Vincent.— BeU\een Admiral Sir John Jervis (15 sail of 
' the line, and three frigates) and the Spanish (25 sail of the line, 
and 12 frigates). Four sail of the line were captured. 

July 25, 1797. 
AttacJc upon Santa Cruz,--hy a squadron of three 74's, one 50 gun 



ACTIOXS AT SEA. 305 

ship, and three frigates, under Commodore Nelson, — proved un- 
successful owing to insufficiency of force. 

October 11, 1797. 
Battle of Camperdown. — Between the English (14 line-of-battle 
ships, two oO's, two frigates and a sloop, — carrying, without 
frigates, 1,150 guns), under Admiral Duncan, and the Dutch 
(11 line-of-battle ships, four 50's, and four frigates, — carr^dng, 
without frigates, 1,034 guns), ending in the capture of eight ships 
(two 74's, five 64's, one 50) and two frigates. The British lost 
200 killed and 622 wounded = 825; the Dutch, 540 killed and 
620 wounded = 1160. 

August 1, 1798. 
Battle of the Nile. — Between theEnghsh (thirteen 74's, and one 50), 
under Nelson, and the French (one 120, three 80's, nine 74's, 
two frigates of 40 guns each, and two of 36), under Vice- Admiral 
Brueys. Nine French ships were taken, and three destroyed. 

October 12, 1798. 
Off Donegal Bay. — Between Commodore Warren's squadron (8 ships, 
and 354 guns) and the French (9 ships, and 412 guns, having 
3,000 troops on board), under Commodore Bompart. Four 
French ships captured ; and the others— all but two — were taken 
in endeavouring to reach French ports (October 14, October 18, 
and October 20). 

Upril 2, 1801. 
Bomhardment of Copenhagen^ by seven 74's, three 64's, two 50's, five 
frigates, 13 sloops, bombs, and fire-ships, under the immediate 
orders of Vice- Admiral Lord Nelson, leaving Admiral Sir Hyde 
Parker at anchor, about 6 miles from Copenhagen, with 8 sail of 
the line. The attack was completely successful, and the whole 
Danish fleet taken or destroyed. 

July 9, 1801. 
Off Cabrita Point. — Between the English (5 line-of-battle, and a 
frigate), under Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, and the French 
and Spanish (9 line-of-battle, and three frigates), under Admiral 
Moreno and ]M. Linois. Only two British men-of-w*ar and a 
frigate were engaged. One of the enemy's ships was taken, and 
two were set on lire. 

July 22, 1805. 
0/ FerroZ.— Between Sir Robert Calder's fleet (four 98*s, one 80, 
eight 74's, two 64's, and two frigates) and the Franco-Spanish 
(^20 line-of-battle ships, and several frigates), under Admiral 
yilleneuve and Admiral Graviua. Two of the enemy captured. 

U 



306 CHKONOLOGTCAI^ TABLE. 

Octohe7' 21, 1805. 

Battle of Trafalgar.— Betv^een the Britisli (27 sail of tlie line, and 
four frigates, — 2,148 guns), under Nelson, and the French- 
Spanish (33 sail of the line, and ^Ye frigates, — 2,626 guns), 
under Villeneuve and Gravina. Nineteen men-of-war were 
captured. (See the " Story of the Victory.") Four more sur- 
rendered to a squadron, under Sir Eichard Strachan, on the 4th 
of November. 

February 6, 1806. 

Off San Domingo. — Between Yice- Admiral Duckworth's squadron 
(five 74's, one 80, and one 64) and the French (one 120, one 80, 
three 74's, and two frigates), under Yice- Admiral Leisseigues. 

September 25, 1806. 
Off Bochfort. — An English squadron (a 98, five 74's, and a 16-gun 
* sloop), under Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, attacks a French 
squadron (four 40-gun, and one 36-gun frigates, and two brigs) 
and captm-es the four 40-gun frigates. 

February 19, 1807. 
Passage of the Dardanelles, by the English fleet (one 100, one 98, 
two 80's, two 74's, one 64, two frigates and two bombs), under 
Vice- Admiral Sir J. T. Duckworth. A small Turkish squadron 
was destroyed, and Yice- Admiral Duckworth then retreated. 

August 12 to October 21, 1807. 
Expedition to Copenhagen. — The fleet, under Admiral Gambier, con- 
sisted of 25 sail of the line, 40 frigates, sloops, bombs, &c. The 
army, under General Lord Oathcart, numbered 27,000 troops. 
After three days' bombardment, Copenhagen surrendered, and the 
whole Danish fleet was captured. 

April 11 to 14, 1809. 
In the Basque Boads. — The English fleet, under Admiral Lord 
Gambier, consisted of one 120, two 80's, eight 74's, seven frigates, 
twelve brigs and sloops, and other small vessels. The French 
fleet in the Koads, under Yice-Admkal Allemande, was moored 
under the heavy batteries of the He d'Aix, and consisted of 12 sail 
of the line, and three frigates. A strong boom, half a mile long, 
further protected the French. Under the direction of Lord 
Cochrane, the boom was broken, and fire-ships sent in upon the 
enemy, who cut or slipped their cables in terror, and drove 
ashore. Several of the French ships were destroyed, and moi-e 
miglit have been effected had the British fleet been better 
acquainted with the dangerous navigation of the Basque Roads, 
or tad Lord Gambier possessed tho daring of a Nelson, 



ACTIONS AT SEA. 307 

March 13, 1811. 
Off Lissa, — Between four English frigates (152 guns, and 880 men), 
under Captain Hoste, and a Franco-Venetian squadron (300 guns 
and 2,500 men), under Commodore Dubourdieu. Despite the 
disparity of force Captain Hoste captured two frigates, and drove 
another ashore, with a loss of only 45 killed and 145 wounded. 

August 27, 1816. 
Bombardment of Algiers, by Lord Exmouth's fleet. 

Odoher 20, 1827. 
Battle of Navarino. — Defeat and almost total destruction of the 
Turkish and Egyptian fleet of nearly 180 sail, by the British, 
French, and Kussians (26 sail), under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward 
Codrington. *' Out of a fleet composed of 81 men-of-war, only 
one frigate and 15 smaller vessels were in a state ever to be again 
put to sea.'* 

November 2, 1840. 
Bombardment of Acre, — by the British fleet (14 line-of-battle ship?, 
five frigates, three corvettes, &c., &c.), under Admiral Sir Kobert 
Stopford, — second in command, Commodore Charles Napier. 

[The naval operations in the Black and Baltic seas during the 
Kussian war were not of sufficient importance to require notice 
in this Chronological Summary.] 



V2 



308 



T.— A SHIP, AND HER RIGGING. 

[To assist our j^oung readers in mastering the nautical details of 
the preceding pages, we furnish them with the names of the various 
j)arts of the masts and rigging of a first-rate man-of-war. The letters 
and figures refer to the accompanying illustration (p. 309).] 



A. 


The foremast. 


p. Mizen-topgallant backstay. 


B. 


The mainmast. 


q, Mizen-topmast backstay. 


C. 


The mizenmast. 


r, Mizen, mizen-top, and mizen-top 


D. 


Foretop-mast. 


gallant stays. 


E. 


Foretop- gallant mast. 


s. Main, maintop, and maintop- 


F. 


Foretop-gallant yard. 


gallant stays. 


G. 


Foretop-sail yard. 


t. Stay tackles. 


H. 


Fore-yard. 


u. Fore and main-yard tackles. 


I. 


Maintop-mast, 


V. Fore, main, and mizen tops. 


J. 


Maintop-gallant mast. 


w. Fore, main, and mizen crosstrees. 


K. 


Maintop-gallant yard. 


X, Fore, main, and mizen trucks. 


L. 


Maintop-sail yard. 


y. Studding-sail (stu'n^sail) booms 


M. 


Main-yard. 


on fore and main yards. 


N. 


Mizentop-mast. 


1. The jib-boom. 


0. 


Mizentop-gallant mast. 


2. Bowsprit. 


P. 


Mi z en top-gall ant yard. 


3. Spritsail-yard. 


Q. 


Mizen top-sail yard. 


4. Dolphin-strikers. 


R. 


Cross-jack yard. 


5. Bohstays. 


S. 


The gaff. 


6. Jib-booms and stays. 


T. 


The spanker-hoom. 


7 Foretop-gallant stay. 


U. 


The fore-chains. 


8. Jib-stay. 


V. 


The main-chains. 


9. Foretop-mast stay. 


W 


, The mizen-chains. 


10. Fore-stay. 


X. 


The quarter galleries. 


11. Lifts of the fore, main, and 


Y. 


The fore-chain wales. 


mizen yards. 


Z. 


The main-chain wales. 


12. Lifts of the fore, main, and 


«. 


Figure-head. 


mizen topsail yards. 


6. 


Fore-shrouds and ratlines. 


13. Lifts of the fore, main, and 


c. 


Foretopmast-shrouds, 


mizen top-gallant yards. 


d. 


Top-gallant shrouds. 


14. Fore, main, and mizen top-gal^ 


e. 


Top-gallant backstay. 


lant braces. 


/. 


Top-mast backstay. 


1 5. Fore, main k mizen topsail braces 


g- 


Topsail shrouds. 


16. Fore braces 


Ju 


Main rigging. 


17. Main braces 


i. 


Maintop-mast rigging. 


18. Cross-jack-yard braces. 


3- 


Maintop-gallant mast rigging. 


19. Topping-Hft. 


k. 


Maintop-gallant backstay. 


20. Vangs. 


h 


Maintop-mast hackstay. 


21. Signal halliards. 


m 


Mizen rigging. 


22. Peak or gaff halliards. 


n. 


Mizen-topmast rigging. 


23. Foot-ropes. 


0. 


Mizen-topgallant mast ligfging. 


24. Fore, main, and mizen royals. 



A SHIP, AND IIKU RIGGING. 



309 




810 



II.— A SHIP, AND HER SAILS. 




[A Man-of-War, under a press of Sail.] 



A . Foremast. ' 

B. Mainmast. 

C. Mizenmast. 
3. Foresail. 

2. Forelop-sail. 

3. Foretop-gallant sail. 

4. Fore-royal. 

5. Fore-skysail, 

6. Mainsail. 

7. Maintop-sail. 

8. Maintop-gallant sail. 

9. Main-royal. 

10. Main-skysail. 

11. Mizen- topsail. 

12. Mizen-top-gallant sail, 

13. Mizen-royal. 

14. Mizen-skysail, 



15. Spanker. 

16. Flying-jib. 

17. Jib. 

18. Fore-studding sail.\ 

19. Fore-topmast stud- 

ding sail, 

20. Foretop-gallant- 

studding sail. 

21. Fore-royal stud- 

ding sail. 

22. Main-stay-sail. 

23. Main-topmast stay-sail. 

24. Maintop-gallant stay-sail. 

25. Main-royal stay-sail. 

26. Fore-topmast stay-sail. 

27. Fore-stay-sail. 

28. Foretop-gallant stay-sail. 




311 



III.— A SHIP, AND HEK INTEEIOR. 





[Longitudinal Section of a Screw Man-of-AVar.] 



A. Foremast. 

B. Mainmast. 

C. Mizenmast, 

D. Bowsprit. 

E. Upxjer deck. 

F. Main deck. 

G. Middle deck. 
H. Lower deck. 
I. Hold. 

Divisions of (E) Upper Deck. 

1. Captain's cabin, 

2. The poop; 

3. Quarter-deck. 

4. Waist and gangway. 

5. Forecastle. 

(F). Ifain Deck. 

6. Admiral's state cabin. 

7. The galley, or cook's room. 

8. The sick " bay." 

(G). 3Iiddle Deck. 

9. The ward-room (where the offi- 

cers mess); marines' berths, 
ship's pump?, &c. 



(H). Lower, or Gun-Deck. 

10. Gun-room; mess-room for mid- 

shipmen, assistant -surgeons, 
&c. ; berths for seamen. 

1 1 . The orlop deck. 

12. The cockpit, purser's room, &c. 

(I). The Hold. 

13. Boatsw^ain's and carpenter' s 

stores. 

14. Powder magazine. 

15. Tanks and water-casks, 

16. The shot-well. 

17. The pump-well. 

18. Provisions. 

19. Spirit-room. 

20. Bread-room. 

[Between the bread-room and the 
stern-post is placed the screw-pro- 
peller. The engine, boilers, &c., in 
a screw steam-ship, occupy the space 
of the provisions, spirit, and bread- 
stores, which are then placed on the 
orlop deck.] 



812 



A GLOSSAEY OF NAUTICAL TEEMS. 



Aback, the situation of the sail of a ship, when its forward surface 
is pressed upon by the wind. 

Abaft, the hinder part of a ship, or some point nearer the stern than 
any given part, as abaft the fore-mast. 

Abeam, or Abreast, the point at right angles with the ship's main- 
mast : hence, abaft the beam, is a position or situation between 
the direct line abeam and the stern, and before the beam, is be- 
tween the beam and the head. 

Aboard, the inside of a ship : hence, any person who enters a ship 
is said ** to go aboard." To fall aboard, is to strike against 
another ship. To haul aboard the main tack, is to bring the 
clew of the mainsail down to the chest-tree. 

About, the position of a ship immediately after she has tacked, or 
changed her course. 

Adrift, the state of a vessel or ship broken loose from her moorings, 
and driven about, at the mercy of the wind, sea, or tide. 

Afore, that part of a ship which lies forward or near the stem. 

Aft, After, behind, or near the stern of a ship. See Abaft. 

Aloft, up in the tops, at the mast-head, or anywhere about the yards 
or rigging. 

Alongside, close to the ship. 

Amidships, the middle of the ship, either with regard to her length 
or breadth ; as, " the enemy boarded in the midships," i. e., in 
the middle, between the stem and stern. " Put the helm amid- 
ships,'* ^. e., in the middle, between the two sides. 

Anchor, best bower and small bower, the two stowed furthest forward 
or near to the bows ; the bed bower being the anchor on the star- 
board bow, the small bower the one on the larboard bow ; the 
sheet anchor is of the same size and weight as either of the bowers ; 
stream anchor, a smaller one ; and hedge anchor, the smallest of 
all. 

Astern, behind the ship. 

Athwart hawse, the situation of a ship when she is driven by the 
wind, tide, or other accident, across the stem of another, whetlier . 
they bear against, or are at a small distance from, each other, 
the transverse position of the former with the latter being prin- 
cipally understood. 



NAUTICAL TKRMS. 813 

Bar^ a shoal across the mouth of a harbour or river. 

Barricadet or Bulwark^ the wooden parapet on each side of the fore- 
castle, quarter-deck, or poop. 

Bear up, or Bear away, to change the course of a ship, in order to 
make her run before the wind, after she has sailed some time 
with a side wind, or " close-hauled ; " the term apppears to have 
been suggested by the motion of the helm, which partly produces 
the change, as it is then "borne, up*' to windward or to the 
weather-side of the ship. Hence hear up seems to have reference 
to the helm only ; as, " Bear up the helm aweather." With 
respect to any other thing, it is said, Bear away, or hear down ; 
thus, " We hore away for Plymouth ;" " We hore down upon the 
ship, and fought her." 

Bearing, the point of the compass on which any object appears, or 
the situation of any object in reference to any given part of the 
ship ; as, " the bearing of the Cape was N.N.E." 

Beating, the operation of making progress at sea against the direc- 
tion of the wind, in a zigzag line, or *' transverse." 

Belay, to make fast. 

Bend the sails, is to fasten them to the yards ; hend the cable, to 
fasten it to the anchor, &c. 

Berth, the place where a ship lies ; a cabin on board ship. 

Bight, any part of a rope between the ends ; also a collar, or an eye, 
formed by a rope. 

Binnacle, the box which contains the compass. 

Bits, large upright pins of timber, with a cross-piece, over which the 
bight of the cable is put ; also smaller pins to fasten ropes, &c. 

Bow, is the rounding part of a ship's side forward, beginning where 
the planks arch inwards, and terminating where they close at the 
stem or prow. On the how, means an arc of the horizon, not 
exceeding 45 degrees, comprehended between some distant object 
and that point of the compass which is right ahead, or to which 
the ship's stem is directed. 

Boidines, ropes made fast to the leeches or sides of the sails, to pull 
them forward. 

Box off, is, when a ship having got up with the wind, or been taken 
by the wind ahead, the head yards are braced round to oppose its 
etiect, and prevent the ship from being turned in a contrary direc- 
tion. 

Braces, ropes fastened to the yard-arms to brace them about. 

Breeching, a stout rope fixed to the rmg of a cannon and fastened to 
the ship's side, to prevent the gun from running too far in. 

Bring to, to check the course of a ship by so arranging the sails as 
to make them counteract each other, and keep her nearly sta- 
tionary ; when she is said to lie hy or lie to, having, according to 
the sea-phrase, some of her sails ** aback," to oppose the force of 
those which are full. To come to is sometimes used with the same 



314 A GLOSSARY. 

meaning; although, more generally, it means "to let go the 
anchor." 

Broach to, is when by the violence of the wind, or a heavy sea 
upon the quarter, the ship is forced to windward of her course 
in defiance of the helm. 

JBulkheads, partitions of the cabins. 

Cable, the large rope by which the ship is secured to the anchor. 

Cable's length, a measure of 120 fathoms, or 240 yards. 

Cat-head, a strong projection from the forecastle on each bow, fur- 
nished with sheaves or strong pulleys, and to which the anchor 
is lifted after it has been hove up to the bow by the capstan. 

Chains, or Channels, of a ship, those strong projections from the 
sides below the quarter-deck and forecastle ports in large ships, 
but above the guns in small ones, to which the shrouds or rigging 
of each of the lower masts are secured, by means of wooden 
blocks, or dead-eyes, strongly chained and bolted to the ship's 
side. 

Chess-tree, Sb piece of wood bolted perpendicularly on each side of 
the ship near the gangway, to confine the clew of the mainsail. 

Close-hauled, the arrangement or trim of a ship's sails when she 
endeavours to advance in the nearest direction possible towards 
that point of the compass from which the wind blows. 

Club-hauling, tacking by means of an anchor. 

Davit, a piece of timber used as a crane to hoist the flukes of the 
anchor to the top of the bow ; this is called *' fishing the anchor." 

Fore-and-aft, from stem to stern of the ship. 

Forging ahead, to be forced ahead by the wind . 

Furl, to wrap or roll a sail close to the yard, stay, or mast to which 
it belongs, and wind a gasket or cord about it to fasten it thereto. 

Gashets, a piece of plait to fasten the sails to the yards. 

Haul the wind, to direct the ship's course as near as possible to that 
point of the compass from which the wind arises. 

Hawse, is generally understood to imply the situation of the cables 
before the ship's stem, when she is moored with two anchors out 
from the bows ; viz., one on the starboard, and the other on the 
larboard bow. It also denotes any small distance ahead of a ship, 
or between her head and the anchors by which she rides. 

Hawser, a small cable. 

Heave to, synonymous with bri7ig to. Heaving to an anchor, is when 
all the cable is taken in until the ship is directly over her anchor, 
preparatoiy to its being weighed. 

Larboard, a name given by seamen to^the left side of the ship, when 
looking forward from the stern. 

Luff, the order to the helmsman to put the tiller towards the lee- 
side of the ship, in order to make the ship sail nearer to the wind. 

Main sheet, a large rope fixed to the lower corner or clew of the 
mainsail, by which, when set, it is hauled aft into its place. 



NAUTICAL TERMS. 315 

Main taclc, another large rope fixed to the same corner of the sail, 
but to haul it on board or down to the chess-tree on the fore part 
of the gangway ; when set upon a wind, or " close-hauled," the 
foresail is provided with similar ropes. 

Offing, implies ** out at sea," or at a good distance from the shore. 

Fay round off, is, when the ship is near the wind, to fall off from it 
against the helm, and in spite of every effort to prevent it. 

Port the helm, the order to put tlie helm over to the Zarboard side of 
the ship. Used instead of larboard, on account of the resem- 
blance in sound between the latter word and storboard. 

Quarter, that part of a ship's side which lies towards the stem, or 
is included between the aftmost end of the main chains and the 
side of the stern, where it is terminated by the quarter-pieces. 

Balie a ship, is when the broadside sweeps another's decks fore and 

, aft, either by lying athwart her bows or her stern. Bake means 
also the inclination of the masts, bowsprit, stern, or sternpost. 

Beef, to reduce a sail by tying a portion of it to the yards with 
points. 

Slipping the cable, unsplicing it within, a buoy and buoy rope 
having been previously fixed to it, to show where the ship has 
left her anchor. 

Splicing, the mode by which the broken strands of a rope are 
united. 

Spring, to anchor with a, is, before letting go the anchor, to cause a 
smaller cable or hawser to be passed out of the stern or quarter- 
port, and taken outside of the ship forward, in order to be bent or 
fastened to the ring of the anchor intended to be let go, for the 
purpose of bringing the ship's broadside to bear in any given 
direction. 

Squadron, an assemblage of ships of war in number less than ten. 

Stay, to stay a ship, is to arrange the sails, and move the rudder, so 
as to bring the ship's head to the direction of the wind, in order 
to get her on the other tack. When she does not answer her helm 
she is said to be " in stays." 

Tach, to change the course from one board to another. To turn the 
ship about from the starboard to the larboard tack, or vice versa, 
in a contrary wind. 

Taut, or taunt rigged, means when a ship is very lofty in her masts. 
, AU-a-tauto, is used when a ship, having had some of her masts 
struck, has rehoisted them. 

Taut, a corruption of tight. 

Wake of a ship is to be immediately behind or in the track of her. 
It also means when a ship is hid from view by another ship. 

Warp a ship, is to change her situation by dragging her from one 
part of a harbour, &c., to some other, by means of warps (ropes or 
hawsers), which are attached to buoys, to other ships, to anchors 
sunk in the bottom, or to certain stations on the shore, such as 



31 G A GLOSSAHV. 

posts, rings, trees, &c. The ship is then di-awn forward to thoea 
stations, either by pulling on the warps by hand, or by the appli- 
cation of some purchase, as a tackle, windlass, or capstan. 

Way, a ship is said to be under loay, that is, to have way upon her, 
when she has weighed her anchor, and is exposed to the inj&uence 
of the tide, current, or wind. 

Weather a ship, headland, &c., is to sail to windward of it. The 
weather-gage implies the situation of one ship to windward of 
another when in action, &c. 

Wear or veer ship, is to cliange lier course from one board to the 
other by turning her stern to wind^yard. 

Weigh, is to heave up the anchor of a ship from the ground in order 
to prepare her for sailing. 



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2. The Wild Elowers, Birds, and Insects of the 

Months, Popularly and Poetically Pescribed ; with numerous Anecdotes. 
A Complete Circle of the Seasons, with Practical Notes on the Collecting, 
Preserving-, nnd Arrano^in2: of Nests and E{j:g8, Insects, and other objects 
of Natural History. By H. G. Adams, Author of* The Young: Naturalist's 
Library,' * Favourite hon":- Birds,' &c. &c. With upwards of Sixty Illus- 
trations by Coleman, Harvey, and others. 

8. The Men at the Helm : 

Bio^jraphical Sketches ofGreat English Statesmen. By W. H. Davknport 
Adams, Author of * The Sea Kings of England,' &r. &c. With Eight 
llhistrations by John Franklin, printed on Toned Paper, representing 
Scenes of Historic Interest. Contents :— 

Earl Godolphin. | William Pitt. 



CroTTiwell, Earl of Essex. 
The Earl of Strafford. 
John Hampden. 
Hyde, Eaii of Clarendoii. 



Lord JJolingbroke, & Harley, 1 George Canning. 
Earl of Oxford. Sir Robert Peel. 



Sir Uobert Walpole. I Lord Aberdeen, 

The Earl of Chatham, 



Chap. 

8. The Ancient Order of Ratrachians. 

9. Our Feathered Friends. 

10. ' Live Lions,' Past, Present, and Future. 

11. Conreriiing Bats. 

12. A Monograph of the Monkey Tribe. 

13. The Gorilla. 



4. Links in the Chain ; 

or, Popular Chapters on the Curiosities of Animal Life. By George 
Keauley. With Eight highly-finished Engravings on Wood by F. W. 
Keyl, printed on Toned Paper. Contents : — 

Chap. 

L An Unseen World. 

2. A Disquisition on Jel!y-Fish, 

S. Insects and their Htinters. 

4. An Apology for Snails. 

5. 'J lie Nautilus and its Allies. 

6. The Aquarium ai.d its Jnmates, Part I. 

7. Tlie Aquarium and its Inmates, Part II. 

5, The Helping Hand : 

a Guide to the New Testament. By Adelaide Alexander. With 

Maps and Illustrations. 
The Author's descriptions are graphic, the style simple, and well adapted to the compre- 
hension of the young ; and a vein of earnest piety runs through the whole book, which has 
tliC hiriiier recommendation of requiring frequent reference to the inspired text itt:clf— an 
exenise whicli will be found pleasurable, instead of irksome. We cordially stamp this work 
wi-!. our approval, as one that is eminently fitted for use in schools and Christian famil-es.' , 

Mcimivg Herald. 

0. Our leathered families : 

The Birds of Song. A Popular, Poetical, and Anerdotical De?cription 
of those found in Britain, with Practical Hints for the Breeding, Hearing, 
and General Management of Song-Birds in Confinemert. By H. G. 
Adams, Author of 'The Young Naturalist's Library,' &c. &c. With 
upwards of Fifty Illustrations by William Harvey, Reiveley, W. S 
Coleman, and F. W. Keyl. 

V. Our Feathered Families : 

The Birds OP Prey. Being an Anecdotical and Descriptive Account 
of the Rapacious Birds of Britain, witli a Chapter on Ancient and Modern 
Hawking. With nearly Fifty lUustiatons by F. W. Key), Wiliaui 
Htivvey, and others. 



Books with a Meaning — continued. 



8. Eomantic Passages in English History. 

By May Beverley, Author of * Little Estella,' *The Moor Cottage,' &c. 
"With Eight Illustrations by Robert Barnes, printed on Toned Paper. 

CONTENTS. 

Light in Dark Times ; or, how Prior Ealiere founded the Hospital of St. Bartholomew, 
The Patriot Earl; or. How the Battle of Evesham was Fought, 
The Royal Bride ; or. How Queen Anne loved her People, 
Ludlow Castle, and what befell there. 
The Last of the Lords High Constables, 

9. Our Untitled Nobility. 

By John Tillotson, Author of * Lives of Eminent Men,' 'Bible Stories,' 
'Tales about Animals,' &c. &c. With Eight Illustrations by Charles 
Green, on Toned Paper, 

contents. 

1. William Smith, the Father of English Geology. 

2. Henry Cort, the Story of an Inventor. 

8. Thomas Dick, the Christian Philosopher. 

4. Marshall Hall, the Physical Enthusiast. 

5. The Two Brunels : a Study for Young Engineers. 

6. George Wilson, the Chemist ; or, the Power of the Soul over the Body, 

7. William Scoresby, the Sailor Clergyman. 

8. Thomas Waghorn, the Pioneer of the Overland Route. 

9. Thomas Raikes. the Founder of Sunday Schools. 

10. Captain Coram and the Foundling Hospital. 

11. Founders of the City Mission, Church Missionary Society, &c, 

10. Our Peatliered Families : 

Game and Water Birds. With a Chapter about Pigeons; and upwards 
of Sixty Illustrations, by Harrison Weir, William Harvey, F. W. Keyl, 
and others. 

11. Half Hours with our Sacred Poets. 

By Alexander H. Grant, M.A. With Illustralions by H, S. Marks, 
on Toned Paper. [Readp March 1. 

G3" This volume aims at being representative of our best sacred poetry, from the earliest 
consolidation of the language to the present time, and at giving, in concise notices, parti- 
culars of the lives and poetical characteristics of the authors. Tke latter purpose stamps 
it, amongst sacred selections, as well-nigh unique. Whilst in the specimens it will offer it 
will be as fresh and responsible as if it had no predecessor, it will ^atefuUy take advan- 
tage of the labours of former collectors. Excellence is its first consideration ; but where 
poetical claims are equal, it will give a decision in favour of the less known. It relies for 
distinctiveness and individuality upon the ground of offering, of things equally good and 
beautiful, not those which are most easy, but those which are most difficult of access— o| 
giving specimens of poetical piety from sources which have been unsuspected or overlooked* 

12. The Flower of Christian Chivalry, 

By Mrs. W, R. Lloyd, Author of * Pictures of Heroes,' &c. &c. VJi% 
Illustrations by J. D. Watson, on Toned Paper. [Ready April 1, 

CONTENTS. 



1, Bernard of Menthon, the Apostle of the 

Alps. 

2. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. 

8. Savonarola : his Friends & his Enemies, 

4. Philippe Pinel. 

5. The Abb^ de I'Ep^e and the Abbd Sicard, 



6. Patrick Hamilton and his Times. 

7. Andrew Melville and his Contemporaries, 

8. The Good Bishop Bedell. 

9. Granville Sharp. 

10. Henry Martyn and If enry Kirke Wliito. 



%* The Publishers have been encourag^ed to present these carefully-edjted 
Volumes to the Public by the great success which has attended their etTorts in 
the publication of works of a somewhat similar nature at the same price. Durinjjf 
the last three years, upwards of Three Hundred Thousand Copies of their 
MiBcelianeous sa. 6d, Juvenile Books have been sold, and tbe majority of them 
remain in continuous demand, 

Guided by the 6u«r^e6tions of this experience, the endeavour hsa been, in the 
rrcsent series of * BOOKS WITH A MKANING/ to unite in a hiffh dpg:reo all 
tho exrellenres, Liteiarv, Arti&tie, and Mechanical, which chw render it \k\> OQ 
jigrcciibie fiud veiuabie- pleasing^ to the youn^, and a Ipjlp to Ute 01(1 



ILLUSTRATED BOOKS 

PUBLISHED BV 

JAMES HOGG & SONS. 



In small crown 8vo. ricli gilt binding^ 3s. 6d. eaclu 
1. — Men who have Eisen : 

A Book for Boya. With Illustrations printed on Toned paper. 

2._Women of Worth : 

A Book for Girls. With Illustrations printed on Toned paner. 

3. — Friendly Hands and Kindly Words : 

stories Illustrative of the Law of Kindness, the Power of Perseverance, and the Adyao- 
tages of Little Helps. With Illustrations printed on Toned paper. 

4. — Roses and Thorns ; 

Or, Five Tales of the Start in Life. With Illustrations printed en Toned paper. 

5. — The Sea and her Famous Sailors : 

A History of Maritime Adventure, Exploration, and Incidents in the Lives of Distin- 
guished Naval Heroes and Adventurers. With niustrations printed on Toned paper. 

*** This volume, whether viewed as a careful, concise Ocean History, or as a compact 
series of Tales and Adventures, possesses many attractive as well as useful features. It 
embraces the rise and fall of JMaritin.e Greatness, in connection wiih the annals of varioud 
nations— the enterprise and endurance which won and obtained Naval power, and the 
innumerable episodes of brilliant daring which mark the career of our Early Adventurers. 

6. — The Leighs ; 

Or, The Discipline of Daily Life. By Miss Palmer. With Illustrations by Walter Kay 
Woods, printed on Toned paper. 

7. — The Busy Hives around Us : 

A Variety of Trips and Visits to the Mine, the Workshop, and the Factory. With 
Popular Notes on Materials, Processes, and Machines. With Illustrations by Harvey, 
&c., printed on Toned paper. 

8.— The Vicar of Wakefxeld. 

By Oliver Goldsmith. A Complete Edition, presenting a clear handsome Text, with 
Twelve choice full-page Illustrations printed on Toned paper. 

9.— Noble Traits of Kingly Men ; 

Or, Pictures and Anecdotes of European History ; with a Bird's-eye View of the Grander* 
:Moven»cnts and their Leaders. With Illustrations by S. A. Groves, printed on Toned 
Paper. 

10.— .Todd's Lectures to Children : 

A Complete Edition of the First and Second Series, with a Memoir of the Author, from 
Authentic Sources, and Twelve full-page Illustrations printed on Toned paper. 

IL-^The Angel of the Iceberg, 

And other Stories and- Parables, Illustratins: Great M'^ral Tniths. Designed chiefJy for 
the Yoimg. To which is added TRUTH MADE Sl.MPLE : A System of Theology lor 
Children. With Twelve Jllustrat'ons by K. W. Slier win, printed on Toned paper. 

12. — Pictures of Heroes, and Lessons froni their Lives. 

With Illustration printed on Toned paper, 

13. — Tlie Pilgrim in the Holy Land ; 

Or, Palestine Past and Present, By licv, Henry S, Osborne. A.M. With Twelve JUu2- 
trations of varioua Objects of Interest in the Holy Land, printed on Toned paper. 

14 — Favourite Passages in Modem Christian Biography, 

with a Group of Portrait*, w * ,/ 

15.— The Pilgrim's Progress. 

Py John liunyan, A Complete Edition, presenting a cleftr handiome Te»ti WiUi X^t\^ 



rTBLISHED BY JAMES nOGG AND SONS» LONDON. 

Three ShiUing and Sixpenny Books, in rich gilt binding — continued. 



10.— The Star of Hope and the Staff of Duty : 

Tales of Womanly Trials and Victories. With Illustrations by Julian Portcli. prinle ' on 
Toned paper. 

17. — Hints on the Culture of Character. 

By the Hon. and Eiqcht Bev. the late Bishop of Durham ; the Rev. Thomas Dale, M. A. s 
the Rev. Henry Melville. B.D. ; and the late Rev. Georgre Croly, LL.D. "With a variety of 
Tassases selected from the Writings of Eminent Divines, chiefly those of the present Day. 

18. — ^Aunt Agnes ; 

Or, The Why and Wherefore of Life : an Autobiography. With Illustrations printed on 

Toned paper. 

19. — The Long Holidays ; 

Or, Learni)i2: without Lessons. By H. A. Ford. With Illustrations by C. A. Doyle, 

printed on Toned paper. 

20._The Wave and the Battle Field. 

By Mrs. Stewart, Author of " Atheline ; or, the Castle by the Sea," " Bradmcre Pool,** 
&c. With Iliustratious by Uenry Saunderson, printed on Toned paper. 

21.— The Printer Boy ; 

Or, How Benjamin Franklin made his Mark. An Example for Youth. By William M. 
Thayer. With Illustrations by Julian Portch, tnc Frontispieee and Vignete Coloured. 

22.— The Habits of Good Society ; 

A Handbook of Etiquette for Ladies and Gentlemen. With Thoughts, Hints, and Anec- 
dotes concerning: Social Obi^ervances. JS'ice i'oints of Ta«ie nnd Good Manners, and tlie 
Art of makiiiir One's-seif Agreeable. The whole intt-rspcrscd wi;h Humorous li I ustni- 
tio.n-i of S ciftl Predicamenti, Remarks on the History and Changes of Fasldon, and the 
DiiFereuces of English and Continental Etiquette. With a Frontispiece. 

23. — Small Beginnings ; 

Or, the Way to Get On. With Hlustrationa, printed on Toned paper. 

24. — The Popular Preachers of the Ancient Church : 

Their Lives, their jStanner, and their Work. By the Rev. William Wilson, M.A. With 
Illustrations by Henry Anelay, printed on Toned paper. 

25. — The Book of Children's Hymns and Ehymes. 

Collected by the Daugliter of a Clergyman. Illustrated with numerous Engravings on 
V/ond. 
This is a comprehens've collection of what maybe called the " Children's Favourites." 

26. — The Missionary in Many Lands : 

A Perics < f Interesting Sketches of Missionary Life. By Erwin House, A.M. With 

Eisht Coloured Illustrations. 

27.— The Four Homes. 

By Mrs. Gother Mann. With Illustrations by Horace Petheriek, printed on Toucd paper. 

28.— The Life of Abraham. 

By A. H. L. Revised by the Rev. Richard Lowndes, Rector of Poole-Keynes, Wilts. 

29. — Interesting Chapters in Bible History, and Scripture Ilkis- 

tration. With Engravings on Wood, printed on Toned paper. 

30._The Carterets ; 

Or, Country Pleasures. By E. A. R. With Illustrations by T. B. Dalziel, printed oa 
Toned paper. 

31. — Scripture Stories for the Young. 

By the Rev. F. Calder, Head Master of the Grammar School, Chesterfield. Witli Illus- 
trations by D. II. Friston, primed on Toned paper. 

32. — The Story of a Boy's Adventures, and How he Eose in the 

V/orld. By Mrs. Stewart, Author of " The Wave and the Ea«tlc-fie'd," " Atheline ; or. 
tlie Castle b; the Sea," &c. With Ulustratious by U. Sanderson, prinUd on loncd 



ftB iO 1902 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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